The Chorus Sings For Eternity: The Only One For Me
by fluctusxFractus
Summary: Life sucks to Yao. His former best friend has humiliated him, his family is fragmented by their crappy pasts, and now some rich, pretty boy with angst of his own adds to all the problems he already has! Life in America is made of fail! China/Japan, AU, rating changed because of later chapters.
1. A Quart of Dork

_I thought school was something that was supposed to be easy. _

_Learn._

_Meet new people._

_Get on with your life._

_I was increasingly, horrendously wrong._

_It all started when I met __**him.**_

_**

* * *

**_

Wang Yao had to admit that this new school year would be much better than the last. It felt like a sense of renewal, the past was stripped away; new freshmen came and filled the void the sophomores left. Starting his junior year, a driving license in hand, new textbooks tucked away at home, in his locker, and in his backpack, everything felt new, the uniform for the juniors emphasizing that.

He couldn't pretend very well, could he?

He hadn't changed much from last year. He was still the over-studious nerd from last year who was always too busy holed away in his room studying. Everyone either ignored him or made him a spectacle whenever he did something against the status quo. He did his best, studied harder than anyone he knew, and his grades proved it. In orchestra his skills as a violinist were unmatched, yet often ignored. On stage he was like a celebrity with the audience; in the halls he was a gloomy little nobody with any life of worthwhile interest. He had only one or two friends, one being a star jock that actually paid him mind. Ivan Braginski was that star jock and everyone wondered why he hung out with the lowest of the school hierarchy.

Ivan had been friends with Yao since childhood and was the person who knew him best. But lately Ivan was starting to feel peer pressure from his teammates and was beginning to put Yao off, the manly senior preferring the company of the slutty cheerleaders and fellow jocks than hang out with a practically invisible junior. As much as Yao hated it, he wondered if he was better off alone.

_I thought he was my friend. Guess not._

The door to his run-down car slammed closed with a metallic rattling, making Yao wince. This car was an old man and yet his father had decided that it wasn't ready for the nursing home just yet.

Walking across the blazing September sun heated parking lot, this was the start to another day in his personal hell. Well, it was more of a kind of hell toned down a bit where the flames just licked by his cheek; the devil was just far enough not to spear him through with an oversized spork.

The doors to the towering, contemporary bell tower tolled loudly at the start of the day, eight A.M. on the dot. Yao smirked amusedly to himself; the clock was half an hour off.

The beginning of the year was always an amusing time for the upperclassmen. Freshman always came too early, freaking over the enormity of the school and running all over like hummingbirds on crack to check and double check the scantiest details. He had to admit he was like that two years ago; now he had the pleasure of teasing the freshman who didn't quite get the fairly easily navigated school.

He wrenched the door open, always taken aback by their heavy weight. Sighing, he numbly walked through the atrium and its loafing, laptop-clad occupants to open another set of doors, to proceed through a large, circular hall with a burbling fountain in its center surrounded by cheerfully colored flowers. He felt like flipping them off, maddened by their false promise of happiness within. He found anything but.

Pacing around for a moment, skin basking in the beam-split light of the terrifically high domed skylight, he decided to take it easy instead of rushing off to the library to needlessly study. He had to admit that in his two years here, he never stopped to appreciate the calm attitude of the morning.

"Watch out—"a small voice yelled with fearful shrillness. Before Yao could even turn to face the voice's owner he was charged into by a blurring form.

They collided together, a mix of limbs and a cyclone of raining paper. Stunned, Yao could only gape as the paper rained around his vision, unable to do anything else.

"Ngh." The sound of a new voice surprised Yao, his senses flicking into focus. Lifting his head, mind and ears filled with throbbing, he focused on the weightless form sprawled on him.

_The hell…?_

The boy covering him obviously a freshman, the body practically like a prepubescent boy's and virtually weightless. And yet his face was stunning.

The freshman had the face a model would be jealous of, high cheekbones, large eyes, full lips, pixie nose—the whole package. Wide black eyes stared at him like a bunny, unfavorably eliciting a blush from the junior.

"I'm sorry, sorry!" the boy cried in a rising flush, practically leaping off his body like crackling sparks from a fire. He dusted himself off, Yao stupidly following his every action, not getting himself up.

A small hand was offered, and Yao gladly took it. He was pulled upwards. Once standing he could see he was at least a head taller than this boy.

"Sorry," he said again, a head rubbing his shiny black hair. Yao was too busy checking over himself. Nothing seemed damaged, so he supposed it was alright.

"Might want to be more careful," Yao said with a bit of unchecked irritation, glancing once over at the frazzled boy.

The boy paled at the tone of Yao's voice, flinching slightly.

_Geez, he's sensitive as hell. _

Yao softened his features a bit just for the sake of maintaining a calmer atmosphere for the easily frazzled boy.

"I'm sorry," he said again, afraid he might get a bad scolding or something. He looked down, his fingers beginning to twirl through his hair shyly.

_Gods, shy too. Looks wimpy._

Yao locked eyes with him, mouth set in a firm line. "Where are you headed? You're lost right?"

This shocked the boy who began stuttering. "I-I was looking for the orchestra room. I have to talk to the orchestra teacher to straighten some things off. This school's so big and I forgot my map at home…"

Yao sighed. This was going to be such a pain in the ass.

"I'll take you there. It's a half hour before school starts so we till the frickin' apocalypse before it starts." Why was he doing this again? Oh yeah, school reputation. Somehow, part of him wanted to just leave the kid to fend for himself. Yao sure as hell had no one to show him around and crap like that. Why should he be this kid's frickin' tour guide?

The boy laughed nervously. "…Kiku Honda."

"What's a 'Kiku Honda'?" Yao injected tiredly. Maybe he was being an asshat for his rudeness, but he just didn't give a damn anymore.

"My name," Kiku said a little crossly, furrowing his brows with the anger of a quivering Chihuahua. If girls were here they'd gushing over how 'keyoot' this noob was being.

"Alright, chill. Are you coming or what?" Yao responded, beginning to walk off in the direction of the orchestra room. Kiku began tailing him, bounding like an energetic puppy…which was actually kind of cute, not that he'd admit it. Thoughts like that were just gay.

"Yeah, yeah. What's your name?" Kiku asked, trotting up to Yao's side to keep up with his longer strides.

"Wang…Yao."

"Nice to meet you, Yao! What grade are you in? How old are you?" Kiku said energetically, skipping straight to the personal stuff.

"Junior; 16," Yao said in monosyllables. Not one to be silent for too long, he asked, "You?"

"Um…freshman, 13," he said, taking the same approach to answering as Yao to answer the question.

"That's young. You live nearby?" he asked, wondering where the hell he was going with this.

"Yeah. I live on Wescott."

"Isn't that where all of the rich families live?" Damn, pretty and rich? What's next…his family owns a private cruise ship?

They walked down the hall in silence for a moment, rounding a corner before Yao decided to revive their dying conversation.

"I guess you could call us that. My dad works hard…it's not like we got everything for free."

"Good for you," Yao said. He wished he could brag about an upscale lifestyle. His foster father was putting every cent towards his and his younger sister's college education. His father worked like a slave, going to such desperate measures as selling their old, small, house and even his car, opting for a cheap apartment and a dilapidated car. The only reason Yao even had a car was because he'd worked hard at his fairly good job, but respected his father's tradition of frugality and bought a two passenger one. Each mile of gasoline was precious and not to be taken for granted. His little sister understood as well and forsook all the things girls her age wanted, like clothes from Abercrombie and Fitch (Bitch, as Yao liked to call it) and an iPod Touch that nearly every kid from a decent income family had. Yao didn't give a shit for trends and preferred just living; why would anyone need so much just to survive.

His sister and he were pretty smart, so the two made a secret pact and were working their hardest and were hopeful to earn a bucket load of scholarships. It was the least he could do for a single parent who was going all he could to raise children that weren't even biologically his.

"We're here," Yao said after a moment of silence, standing before the door to the orchestra room.

"So this is the orchestra room…" Kiku said, looking inside. The room was shaped like a large orchestra pulpit for an authentic feel, the lights tuned low. The walls were smothered and creamed with posters advertising colleges specializing in music, sheet music, pictures of past orchestras in foreign, European countries. The floor was covered in deposited instrument cases, music stands, and metallic folded chairs in a wide range of ugly colors. The levels of the room were specialized for the different families of instruments.

_No shit, Sherlock._

Yao sauntered over to one of the corners of the strings section, leaning down to find his violin case that was dejectedly crushed under the more up kept cases. Pulling it out, gripping the worn handle, he set it on one of the chairs and snapped away the clasps. Slowly he opened it, gazing at the shining, well-used violin within. It had been bought at a flea market by his dad for his birthday last year for renting a violin was too expensive and buying one new was out of the question. Yao took care of it and restored it well, but there was no hiding how old it was. Strings replaced and body polished didn't hide the fact that it wasn't one of the nicer ones most of the other students had.

The gentle pinging of piano keys rang in Yao's eyes, startling him from his reverie. Those erratic keys began connecting into a beautiful melody, making Yao enter into a mild trance at their simple beauty. It was like listening to the drizzle of rain, peaceful and sleep-inducing.

Kiku was sitting behind the piano, head looming over the piano keys and fingers moving like demons over the keys as the playing become more like a steady rain.

"Blinded By Light—Final Fantasy 13 battle theme," Kiku said suddenly, absently. His fingers moved more quickly as he continued to play. Yao had never played the game but the music Kiku was playing sounded really good.

"Are you going to be the orchestra's pianist?" Yao asked, remembering that the orchestra teacher was looking for applicants last year. Kiku nodded once in confirmation, too engrossed to speak. Yao felt his eyes lose focus for a bit; he understood that feeling all too well.

The touching of keys stopped. Yao cursed himself; how could he completely loose himself so easily? Oh well, they still had plenty of time before the bell rang.

* * *

The morning came and went, and his classes didn't seem much different from last year. He was taking all AP classes, a feat few people in the sports-oriented school could achieve. His classmates ignored him as usual, the only one who paid him much mind was Ivan even though it was only to say hello in the halls.

_When did he become such an asshole?_

"Hey, Yao!" an unexpected voice called. He ignored it, gritting his teeth and advancing his legs in longer strides.

"Yao."

He walked a bit faster.

"Yaaaooo."

He ignored it.

"Stop being such a prick!" the voice said, exasperated. It was Ivan who had grabbed the handle of his backpack with monstrous strength and stalled him there.

Yao growled and whirled around. "What is it?" he cried, causing people around him to focus on them with fixated stares. He blushed in embarrassment, slapping away Ivan's inquiring hand.

"Jeez, I just wanted to say 'hi'," Ivan said defensively. The six foot five senior scowled and scoffed, hooking his thumbs in his pockets.

"Yeah, I kind of have to get to lunch and you just happen to be in the way. Piss off, why don't you?" Yao snarled, remembering that his former best friend had ditched him last year. He hadn't exactly dropped his gently either. It was more like a humpty-dumpty kind of fall—no, shove. He'd humiliated Yao in front of basically the entire school population and Yao had been ostracized after that, no one even casting a glance his way. It had carried on over to this year as well; Yao was beginning to get used to—even like—being alone. No one bothered him, no one expected anything of him and he especially didn't have to burden himself with someone else's feelings. He was free…

Ivan grabbed his shoulder, giving Yao a placating glance.

"WHAT?" Yao nearly screamed, disturbing the silence of the now silent halls. At least no one was around to listen in on them.

"I'm sorry, alright? …For what I did last year to you. I was a real asshole, okay? So can we be friends…like old times?"

This surprised Yao to no end.

_What the hell? I mean, why now? What made him do this?_

"Feh, whatever. You can start by not treating me like shit. Tell that to your harem of skanks and the dickheads you call friends." Yao tried walking away again but was stopped by Ivan's large hand on his shoulder.

"Yao, we're having a party tonight. I told my mates about you and they said you could come. I am captain of the football team so…"

"No shit, Sherlock. You're pretty much are in the sexual fantasies of those skanks you hang out with."

Ivan brightened a little, cocking a crooked smile Yao had missed seeing. "So you're in?"

"Sure. What time and where?" Yao asked.

_I just want to get wasted…I always feel like shit._

Ivan took a small, chewed up pencil from his pocket and a crumpled Post-It and quickly scrawled on it. Handing it to Yao, the Chinese boy smiled a shadow of a smile.

"Count me in."

"See you there, you prick!" Ivan called cheerfully over his shoulder, scarf billowing behind him.

* * *

He was so rip-roaring drunk he could barely see anything. The world was swirling and blurring together, everything in a fog. The mind that was so neat and calculating was an erratic mess now.

The world was shaky and loud; he could hear groaning and sharp cries of ecstasy from couples engaging in full blown sex. Their noises hurt his ears and tore through his mind, which was already muddled from him being so drunk.

Yao could admit that he'd drank before; maybe a beer or two. He had hated it…but here and now he was so determined to lose himself he got past the taste and focused instead on the muddled sensations riddling his mind. He didn't even taste anymore; each swig only felt like liquid and the smell became his oxygen.

Ivan had gotten fairly drunk as well and was busily making out with one of the cheerleaders who had eagerly offered herself to him, their clothes disappearing fast. He thought he saw a bra flying through the air from Ivan's direction but his eyes blurred before he could focus. Not that he was in the mood to see some slut stripping herself before the team god.

No one dared to bother Yao; he'd chosen a good hiding spot in an alcove of the parent-free home, taking with him a good supply of booze for the ride. How he stayed up there was a mystery but the enormous quantity of liquor was not. He drank his way through a six pack, moving on to some vodka which Ivan had plenty of.

It tasted like water, to his relief, but the high alcohol content was assuredly high. He drank his way through the bottle before puking out his stomach in a potted plant with a deep depth…not that he cared to notice. His mouth tasted like shit which he remedied with another swig of the vodka.

The darkness of the room was calmly disorienting, the Friday evening beginning to give way into a blanket of night. Luckily this house wasn't even five minutes away from the apartment complex he lived in. If he slept in Saturday because of a hangover, his dad would just accredit it to what he called "teenage syndrome." Luckily he didn't drive here so he wouldn't have to worry about totaling his car. As if it didn't need to become a bigger pile of metallic shit than it already was.

Standing shakily, he walked with a wobbling gait to the door.

"Hey…VVVVaaannnnnnnnyya!" he called with an ear-splitting pitch. "I'm goin' now. See yooou~!" He loved to use Ivan's Russian name just to piss him off. He did that constantly when they were kids.

A shattering groan from one of the mating teens was his only reply as Yao stumbled out into the night.

* * *

"Yao? Yao!" a pretty voice called to Yao through the rain. Disoriented, eyes hooded drunkenly, Yao stumbled to the sound of the voice.

The voice neared even closer now, a pair of smooth hands grasping his shoulders in the rain. Yeah, it was raining, but in the still-summer heat it felt good. It drenched through his sleeveless shirt and hot skin. He'd been sweating like a pig in that place, hair-tie becoming undone and jet-black hair plastering itself to his neck, some clinging about his face.

Yao looked at what should have been the person's face, focusing for a second before lapsing into beer goggle vision again.

_Damn…don't see girls…this sexy anymore…_

A drunken blush covered his pale cheeks, causing the person holding him to narrow their eyes.

"What's wrong with you…?" the pretty voice asked again, enthralling Yao. His blush deepened even darker.

"How…cute…gf come to pick me up…" he slurred, straightening. His hand stroked the person's face, causing skin to heat beneath his touch.

"What...the hell… Come on, you're staying at my house! It's really close by. Something's wrong with you…"

"Hang on...a sec…"

"What?" the pretty voice demanded.

Before the person could dream of dodging him, his fingers forced the person's chin upwards, secretly smiling at the person's shortness, his lips descending to kiss the person's lips tenderly and passionately. There was no escaping him.

* * *

Last thoughts: …Weird ending, ne? Sorry for the overload of swearing. If the story's rating needs to change because of it, just tell me.

This story I planned to write after Funeral Rush: Blossom Storm was completed…but I just had to start it before I forget any good plot ideas. Yao is really OOC, isn't he? Don't worry; things will be getting better as the story progresses. He's pretty much Tough! Yao…and then there's Cute Uke! Kiku, who's also pretty OCC. Feel free to shoot me in the face if he seems too gary-stu-ish to you. He'll change for the better soon so look forward to it, okay? BTW, Ivan and Yao are just friends in this story. It's China/Japan, okay?

Feel free to shoot me in the face for any other reason at all. Please review a lot! That means all of you lurkers! I'm not the give-me-lots-of-reviews-or-I-won't-continue types but just knowing people have something to say really pushes me forward. And I really appreciate it!

As always, review, review, review!


	2. A Pound of Precarious

_I had no idea this was set to happen._

_He was just a kid._

_He was too new to the world, unlike me._

_And yet I…_

_

* * *

_

Yao's eyes lidded closed, his lips falling from Kiku's as his head slumped to Kiku's shoulder. The boy's heart was throbbing faster the vibrating beat of a hummingbird's wings. What had just happened? Yao was drunk and had mistaken him for a girl (his girlfriend, apparently), so it wasn't as if there was some other intent behind the kiss…right?

Still, he felt his cheeks heat up to blazing heights, a dizziness beginning to settle in his mind.

This had been his first kiss.

As much as he wanted to dwell upon his jumbled feelings, Kiku decided instead to get Yao back to his house. His parents weren't home for the weekend and his older brother, Im Yong Soo, was staying with their uncle for the night as well as all day Saturday. He had the house to himself so Yao being there wouldn't be a problem. Other than his mother's adorable, fluffy dog Pochi he was completely alone.

The older boy was sleeping in his arms. Kiku, blushing madly, embraced him. There was something about Yao he really liked, but he wasn't sure what.

Releasing him and repositioning Yao so that Kiku could support him, arm wrapped under Yao's and one of the older boy's around his shoulders, Kiku began walking. The rain poured a little more steadily, making both of their dark hair shine like a glazed tile. Kiku sneezed loudly, realizing that he was beginning to get chilled from the rain. He tried picking up the pace as they kept to the sidewalk of Wescott Street, trees providing a subtle umbrella. Their towering boughs and fully bloomed leaves helped immensely in shielding them from the chilling rain.

He rounded the tree-hooded cul-de-sac and made way down the long driveway of his home, grand trees forming a natural tunnel over them, lampposts stuck shallowly in the expansive lawns illuminating their way. Kiku hiked for a bit longer before finally seeing the Tudor-style façade of his mansion-sized home. Climbing the winding limestone steps he came to the front entry porch of the home, thrusting his hand into his pocket and finding the key that would unlock the house. He jiggled it impatiently before it finally opened, kicking the door open because of full hands once he did. Once inside he kicked it closed again, a resounding thud filling the silent foyer.

He flicked a switch, a gigantic crystalline chandelier illuminating the room, showcasing the grand swirling staircase and burbling fountain inlaid in the marble floors. Kiku avoided the Persian rug covering a small square of the entrance hall and kicked off his shoes into a closet opposite the door. He didn't bother with Yao, deciding it was best to leave him alone. He carried the limp junior into the living room, guiding him around large china cabinets of his mother owns as well as other obstacles.

The fluffy leather monstrosity sat perpendicular to a huge picture window affording wonderful views, appealing to Kiku who was feeling a little encumbered by his heavy load.

"You can rest here for now," Kiku said with affirmation, heaving Yao as softly as he could to the white skinned furniture piece, moving to straighten him out. Yao was sleeping peacefully but would be due for a heavy hangover in the morning. The strong, pungent scent of alcohol emanated from his direction, making Kiku's nose wrinkle in distaste. He wasn't a drinker at all, practically isolated from all of the world's ills.

"I guess you're right, Yao. You never told me yourself but I can tell you know how naïve I am. You live in a very different world, don't you?" Kiku said absently, almost talking to himself had Yao not been there. He collapsed on the couch across from the Yao occupied, lazily resting his feet on the ornate coffee table like an island separating him, hands askew on his stomach.

"How's your sister? She's in the freshman class, isn't she?" After a moment of no response, "Never mind. You don't have to open up. I'll find another way to get you to talk."

Kiku chuckled amusedly at himself. Really? Good luck with that impossible wish.

_Who the hell keeps talking? Ivan…? That Honda kid…?_

_

* * *

_

Yao wrenched his eyes open, and then winced them closed at the sight of the oppressing and blinding light. A throbbing filled his head allied with a terrific pressure. Yep, Yao had one hell of a hangover.

He eased himself on his elbows, surprised that they were sinking into something plush and warmed by his body heat. Shouldn't he be out in the streets rotting in a ditch Poe style?

_What the hell? Fate decided to shit a shitty one, huh?_

Looking around and below he could tell by the surroundings that whoever's house this was stinkin', filthy rich. The room he was in could have easily ate his father's apartment and still have room to share; there were three stories of balconies leaning outwards on the inside, pressing against the curving, huge window like a bent playing card. Everything was white and disgustingly contemporary, like a flayed art gallery. Random pieces of shitty art loved by contemporaries adorned the walls and bulged as crappily made sculptures that irked his love of the traditional. Grey and white was plastered together to force to unite as one when there was clearly hate in the color palette.

His eyes skimmed downwards passing over the sleeping form of a boy, the coffee table—

_THE HELL? _

Yao, panicked, bolted upright, then groaned as the pain and swirling subdued him downwards, forcing him to rest against the couch again. His fingers, confused, gripped the soft blanket that had been draped around him. His clothes smelled like sweat and he stunk, much to Yao's distaste. Still, why the hell was he with that Honda kid?

Easing himself upright, avoiding any sudden movements, Yao tried to stand up. His vision was in a groggy fog and he wobbled to walk. He cursed under his breath, huffing in pitiful exertion.

"Sorry," a lone voice said in the opaqueness. Yao swallowed heavily; the voice from last night was Honda? He felt a cold sweat beginning to creep upon the nape of his neck, the finale of last night's events rushing through his head. Apparently being drunk didn't erase away what has transpired last night, Yao thought with a dulled sense of dread.

He'd kissed another guy; a boy, a rich kid no less.

How could he do something so friggin' gay?

Yao straightened his face out, pretending to let an amnesiac knowledge take over his mind.

"What am I doing here?" he said, sounding exhausted. Standing made him dizzy, but his vision was beginning to clear a bit. He could see Honda clearly now, the boy looking at him with suspiciously hooded eyes. He wasn't buying it.

"Do you remember last night? Anything at all?" Kiku demanded, taking on an irked tone Yao didn't blame him for taking.

"My mind's shot! Happens to a lot of drunks!" Yao snapped with defensive aversion. He tried glaring at Kiku, but a grey grainy pool view filled his vision, killing his coordination. Yao veered violently towards Kiku, expecting him to hit his head.

Kiku caught him in the nick of time, catching him under his arms.

"Thanks…" Yao began, eyes rising to meet gentle and disappointed ones. Their eyes locked for a moment before Yao glanced away to the ground, an arm steadying himself. Kiku quickly let him go, moving away from him.

"Why did you get drunk?" Kiku asked, inquiring eyes boring into Yao's like…gentle drills, calm yet containing strong emotions below.

"Maybe I felt like it," Yao said unhelpfully, slumping against the couch, arm resting on a raised knee. He watched in silence as Kiku settled beside him, the enigmatic boy looking at him with those strange eyes.

"Did you want to lose yourself? Is your life really so terrible?" Kiku asked, eyes gazing outside of the window at the swaying palms and distant white shore being lapped gently against by an azure sea. Forests enshrouded between man and nature, a natural organic green wall formed between them and the sea.

"How would you know? You're life is perfect…" Yao said, mind drifting away with the distant sea.

"Maybe it is," admitted Kiku, "and you could say that I don't understand pain or hardship." He shifted for a moment, gathering his knees and holding them close, resting his chin on the caps.

"That's what I see when I look at you," Yao said, sighing. Since when was Kiku so melancholic and philosophical? This was completely different from the childish, little brother type Yao had seen yesterday. He just assumed Kiku was always like this.

"Well, you're wrong," Kiku said glancing at Yao before returning his gaze to the melting blue ocean. "My life is nothing that you envision it to be—"his voice caught, as if holding back tears.

"Were you adopted by a man who could barely afford to keep himself alive, let alone two siblings? Do you constantly live each day wondering why the HELL your parents abandoned you? You're popular, good-looking, young, and you've got it made in paradise. How is it your life is so Goddamn hard?" challenged Yao, the loose tendrils of his long hair shadowing over his face, his mouth setting into a hard line.

"Maybe…now isn't the time. You've got it hard, right? Why should my insignificant past hinder you in any way? You've got a life to live, right?" Kiku said, rising from his place and heading towards the open-air kitchen gleaming an insanely white pearlescent color. Yao let his eyes trail after the boy. He couldn't help but notice that Kiku seemed drained of energy. It was obvious by the way he dodged the issue that he was hiding something.

_Why the hell should I care? It's his life…not mine._

"Yao, what would you like for breakfast?" Kiku called, a faked happiness forced into his voice.

Yao stood, a little weary of Kiku's sudden friendliness. Even since Ivan had publically traumatized him he was always suspicious of friendly advances, especially from someone he just met.

"What's the big deal? Why so chummy all of a sudden?" Yao demanded, standing up. He folded his arms defensively, glaring distrustfully at the freshman. Kiku, from the kitchen, smirked.

"I thought we could start over. I'm Honda Kiku, fresh meat for the new school year. You?" Kiku said, taking on a smugger demeanor. His confidence levels seemed higher and the cute act Kiku had put on yesterday was now a chilly cool, the kind of attitude Yao respected.

"Wang Yao, junior ready to kick the freshman's asses in Spirit Week," Yao said, sauntering over to the counter and leaning over the bar to offer his hand in greeting. Kiku took it and shook it firmly, smirking confidently.

_Maybe…we can be friends?_

_

* * *

_

Last thoughts: Yes, I did just make the setting in a tropical area. I think I made it pretty ambiguous the last chapter so such a thing would be possible. Now that Yao and Kiku are sort of friends, I decided for them to still be a little icy and then warm up a bit before really heating up *wink, wink*. If any of you have played Kingdom Hearts, you may start to see the relationship that I'm trying to set up for them. I may not have told you this…but this story will take over the course of two years just to give you a heads up.

Because of that, I'll probably be ramming in a lot of time skips and long arcs…which should be good. Whether or not you like it is up to you. This certainly won't be a fluffy-ass shonen-ai story so crush your hopes of that. Some of the elements are there, but I want this to be grittier and real. And since I've grown up in the U.S. I have a better handling of what the education system is like than if I did a Japanese school. Plus, the characters need a looser leash to create plot than what Japanese schools traditionally allow. I'm sure you can easily find a ton of fanfiction based on Japanese school life so I don't see why I need to do the same, you know?

Kill me with reviews, okay? XD And sorry for the short, lame-ass chapter! After a settle down chapter is when the plot begins to take off…so, yeah.

As always, review, review, review!


	3. A Pint of the Past

_It's obvious people aren't what you first think them to be._

_They pull a 180 when you least expect it…_

_Tearing your heart out if you love them enough._

_But __**he **__did 360s and 180s on a daily basis._

_

* * *

_

The hot sizzle of the shower numbed him so pleasantly he could almost forget about his inebriated state for just this moment. He quickly spun the dial of the shower to insanely cold, further shocking him into alertness. This technique was one his father had told him about awhile ago when he'd caught Yao first drinking. Of course, the older man had made Yao swear not to drink again until he graduated high school. So much for that promise.

Yao wiped away the thick coat of steam that had accumulated on the glass shower door like winter frost. The bathroom he was in was Kiku's, adjacent to the boy's room. It wasn't the grandest bathroom in the world, but compared to his, it was like a fancy hotel's. A marble-topped counter encompassed half of the bathroom, an enormous, half-frosted window offering beautiful views of the tropic-touched world they lived in. Everything was in sea-blues and aquamarines, a complete offset to the drab décor of the rooms below. The floor had felt cool to touch, but oddly refreshing to walk upon. His clothes were heaped on a laundry hamper, Kiku generously offering to wash the shit-smelling garments. The high ceiling was a bit disconcerting, but he couldn't complain, watching as steam floating from the shower accumulated like New England fog on an autumn morning.

He snickered to himself, thinking of how the school pervert, Francis Bonnefoy, would love to be put in a situation like this. The lecherous senior was bi, a self-proclaimed "everybody's lover." Kiku, luckily being his first day of school yesterday, was able to avoid the perverted man as he was preoccupied as a member of Roam High School's Security Council, modeled off the United Nations. He himself was a less celebrated member, but he still did what he could. Ivan was on it as well as the heroic Alfred F. Jones and his grumpy best friend Arthur Kirkland. The five of them were like an exclusive club, always having applicants who never pulled through. One had to admit, it did look very good on a college transcript.

The high school was known as Roam High School, situated at the precipice of the lower middle class families and those in the upper tiers of this Californian city's society. Yao had known this place all of his life, but until know, such upper-class living was something only the Travel Channel or HGTV showed to him through television. He still didn't understand every nuance of this vibrant city and could care less to.

How bad did Kiku really have it? The look on his face earlier was too real to have been faked; only pain that severe could be understood by someone who'd experienced similar things, which Yao was too familiar with.

When he was a toddler, the exact memories blurred by the deception of time's passing, when his Taiwanese half-sister Wanwan was just a baby, they had been given up for adoption by their parents. Yao liked to pretend that it had been because of extreme poverty that still strafed much of the country of China at the time, but his foster father knew the truth. Because Chinese parents were only allowed to have one child, Wanwan had been born after his mother abruptly left the family, the Taiwanese girl born of an adulterous relationship. His mother had left because of that societal transgression, but he held no enmity towards his beloved sister. When he was young he'd wanted to find a scapegoat to pile his troubles upon, but the effort always gave him a headache; there were too many people to blame.

He didn't know exactly what his parents looked like, but he liked to pretend, sometimes daydreaming heavily about what they had been like. His always produced the same picture; two blurry silhouettes laughing with beautifully ringing voices around a dinner table, his mother holding little Wanwan in her arms, Yao hovering protectively near. As he grew older, he realized that it was simply the idealistic fantasy of a heartbroken child. It hurt whenever he realized that, but part of him wanted to believe that it was real.

During that time, adjusting to his new life in America, he'd met Ivan Briganski who would later prove to be the biggest asshole ever shitted from the bowels of hell; okay, maybe that was a bit much, but it was still fairly true. His childhood had been of exploring the borders between men and nature, Ivan proudly expounding the exploits of his Commie great-grandparents and family up to his parents who had taken major roles in Russia's development into the U.S.S.R., a train of events widely known by history beefs such as himself. They would play sunrise to sunset when they were young, and as Yao grew older, his circle of acquaintances grew. He met people of many backgrounds and nationalities, joined together by one American spirit. Or some random shit like that.

But he was never really there. His foster father was frequently someone who was seen looming over unpaid bills in static shock, muttering the sequences of numbers like a broken record, forming a haunting chant. They were only a step away from being destitute, and it was found out that it would be impossible for Wanwan and he to be re-adopted should something happen because of many complicated legal discrepancies. He didn't know the fullness of it, but it was still enough to fill his childhood with nightmares of him being taken away from the only man he'd ever acknowledged as his father.

Yao turned his thoughts away from the past and instead turned his face into the spray of the shower, letting it splatter away the rest of his worries and the filth of yesterday. Finally finished, he pushed the dial inwards to stop the flow of water, tugging down the towel that was hung over the top of the glass door.

Tethering it tightly around his waist, Yao squeezed the last of the water weighing down his hair to the floor of the shower, finally exiting the steamy breath of the shower. He had to hand it to Kiku for being kind enough to let someone he met yesterday use his shower. Yao sure as hell wouldn't let anyone do that, seeing that strangers usually wouldn't ask for such. Why did Kiku trust him all of a sudden?

"Hey, are you almost done in there, princess? Your breakfast is getting cold," Kiku's voice taunted cheerfully, causing Yao to twitch irritably.

He stalked over to the door, opening it without thinking. Kiku was standing at its front, fixated on Yao's half-naked body in stark horror. "Hey, I've been in here for not even five minutes. I think you can wait a few more," Yao snapped angrily, moving to tie his long hair tightly back.

Kiku averted looking at Yao, shyly, or maybe tauntingly, avoiding Yao's piercing, golden gaze. This caused Yao to raise an eyebrow suspiciously. Was this kid bipolar too?

"Okay, one second you act like a cutesy girl before her crush, then like a guy who's the top shit, and now you're acting like you haven't talked to another human before. What's your jive? I don't get you, kid." Yao turned his head to try to capture Kiku's roving eyes which were trying to avoid his.

Kiku turned around, now fully avoiding Yao. "I'm just practicing the characteristics that I've observed in other people," Kiku explained with a rather dubious truthfulness. "I want to join the drama club so I figured it'd be a good ability to have. When I was acting like 'the top shit,' as you said, I was simply mimicking your behaviors."

Yao backed away a little, slightly creeped out. It was bad enough he was half-naked, but that last statement was like someone pulled the towel off. For a guy, that's something you'd try to avoid.

"Yeah, and I'm the queen of France. I'm thinking it's multiple personality disorder. 'Cuz everyone analyzes another person's behaviors. Yeah, totally plausible," Yao responded, folding his arms. He held the silence for a minute before grudgingly speaking again.

"Thanks…" Kiku turned to look at him, eyes wide yet so full of mystery.

"You're a really decent person to take in a drunk like me. I might be rotting in some ditch if it wasn't for you," Yao finished awkwardly, scratching the back of his head and averting his eyes.

Kiku amusedly smiled. "Well, you helped me a lot on my first day yesterday. I'd be lost if it wasn't for you."

Yao brightened at hearing this, a small smile flitting across his features. "I guess that makes of even, then. If you need anything else, I'll try to help you out anytime," he promised, shedding the cold exterior for once. The only other person who was capable of doing that was Ivan, although their relationship wasn't going to be reconciled so easily.

Kiku tossed the bundle of clothes into Yao's arms, who inspected them in surprise. "Belongs to your older brother?" he immediately guessed.

"Yeah, but he won't mind. He does that kind of thing for his friends all the time," Kiku responded casually, hooking his thumbs in his pockets. Yao had to admit, he liked the non-acting Kiku a lot better.

"Hey, when we go back to school on Monday, we should ask the staff to fix the bell tower's clock. I don't want to be at school early if it means I could've slept in a bit," Kiku said.

Yao smirked, setting the clothes down on the counter nearest to the bathroom door. "No way. You know, seeing you freshies rush to school only lasts a week before you figure it out. How else are we going to rub your faces in during Spirit Week if we don't have something to taunt you with?"

Kiku leaned on the wall outside the bathroom, an eyebrow raised. "Good point. Whatever, just get changed. I feel like I'm talking with a porn star," he said dismissively, turning to proceed down the hallway and to the stairs. "Like I said, breakfast is ready," Kiku called over his shoulder before he was completely out of sight.

"Yeah, real smooth, doll face!" Yao returned loudly, bringing out true sarcasm, exasperated but happy. He hadn't been able to just act like himself in the longest of times. Not without shouldering some kind of harsh exterior, that is.

* * *

Breakfast had been served and eaten, Yao having scarfed down more than what was expected. Kiku was quick about cleaning up, despite Yao's protestations to help. He still felt uneasy at the fact of his being here and keeping his father worried, but he didn't want to leave because there was still much he wanted to discuss with Kiku.

They had moved themselves to the living room of contemporary aesthetics, sitting next to each other, sipping tea in silence. He wanted to learn more about Kiku; it was a curiosity that had been pestering him since this morning.

"So, can you tell me?" Yao asked before taking a sip of his tea. Green tea was supposed to be good for the body, Kiku had told him, his eyes suddenly mournful.

Her eyes were the same, they both reflected.

Kiku took in a heavy breath, steadying himself. Revealing yourself to those you don't know is easy, he reminded himself. Strangers can't come back to hurt you. They can remain in your memories, or they can be as memorial as a simple wall, listening to you talk madly to yourself.

"Are you sure you want to hear?" Kiku asked, voice losing its confidence. "I don't want you to see me like this." He was referring to the emotion he felt whenever digging up the painful past, the strangulation of tears and the tightening of breath.

"If it makes us closer friends, why not?" Yao said, stomach plummeting. He could feel the fear and sadness practically radiating from the smaller boy, Kiku taking yet another personality he wasn't aware of.

When Kiku had composed himself a moment later, he soothed himself enough to begin speaking. "Three years ago, I wasn't living in America. I'm adopted like you, and my foster family is actually Korean. I used to live in Japan with my mother who raised me on her own, my father's identity unknown. I wasn't much different from most elementary school kids; I went to school and tried my hardest. It all changed one day, however."

Yao patiently sat, waiting for Kiku to continue. "It was like any other day. It was a really nice spring day in May, the cherry blossoms in full bloom. I was on my way home from school riding the subway from school back to my mother's apartment in Tokyo. I-It was the last day I ever saw my mom. When it was the second to the last stop, three men apprehended me. I was gagged and drugged with powerful tranquilizers, not awakening for several hours. When I finally awoke I found myself in a South Korean apartment, my backpack and any form of identification taken. I discovered that I was a victim of human trafficking. The place I was in was shady and dark, smack dab in the middle of a red light district. I was among several boys who were all around my age, from all over Asia. I knew a little Korean and Chinese from what my tri-lingual mother had passed on to me and they told me they were all in the same situation I was in. The place we were at was a brothel that catered to pedophiles and boy lovers. When it was my time to be called, I honestly thought I was going to die. Before I was taken downstairs, a man saw me and told the other man who owned us if he would sell to him my services to be a model. For the next two years I walked the high fashion runways of South Korea and posed for editorial photographers, and if failed to do an exemplary job, I was deprived of food and sometimes beaten. I remember numerous female models who I worked with asked if they could adopt me. My master always said no. I later heard that my mother had died of a stroke a few days after my biggest runway show and cruelest hour when my drunken master beat me almost into disfigurement," Kiku was spouting tears now, sniffling heavily and choking out words. Yao's eyes were fixated forwards, thinking of his own family and the detachment of the past.

"Make up always covered my skin to hide the bruises. I always expressed myself in those photographs, my emotion was always real. They lauded me as the next super model who could reach international acclaim. They never knew what became of me when the canvas came down and the dizzying glamour faded away. I can't remember a night that wasn't filled with tears. At night I was locked in a closet that was infested with mice and cockroaches. Several times men in the shadier aspects of the fashion industry wanted me to pose for child pornography and several times I came close to being raped. I was molested and forced to watch the other boys I knew get raped systematically just to brand within my mind complete subservience to them!" Kiku began sobbing now, Yao patting his shoulder with numb affection. He remembered what Ivan had done to him.

Kiku still continued to press on. "Several months ago, on my 13th birthday back in February, police apprehended the men who held us captive. Because of my fame in South Korea, many of those who worked with me became suspicious of my circumstances and called them to investigate. It took six months, but they finally tracked us down and rescued us all. I was taken to a police station, and when no one could identify me except by my name, I was put up for adoption. I was taken here when a Korean couple, my foster parents, decided to adopt me three months later, then moving to the United States. I've been living with them ever since and they never talk about the past with me. Im Yong Soo and I are like best friends, though we do disagree on a lot of things." Kiku sucked in his breath and held it for ten seconds before releasing it again. He tried to smile through the streaming tears, swallowing his sadness. "I've been happy ever since."

Yao couldn't speak. Here was a boy who was still such a young child and already he'd experienced enough to make any woman going into labor to deliver a child look more like a girl going through a week of PMS. He could place himself among the level of trauma that even soldiers in the face of battle experienced.

"Kiku, I'm sorry," Yao whispered, squeezing Kiku's shoulder, "what you've gone through is…just…" He couldn't continue his mind was so inundated with this massive confession. His heart squeezed and throbbed painfully, trying to understand one iota of what Kiku had experienced.

Kiku just sighed and removed Yao's hand from his shoulder. "The memories hurt, Yao, but I've come to realize one thing: no matter how painful the past is the bear, you can still change what you do in the now and choose to overcome it. I'm not sure if you're into history but I've gotten into it recently. I've have discovered people who lived through things much worse like the Holocaust and made their lives better by advocating for the right things in life. It's like how the old adage goes: If life gives you lemons, make grape juice and make them wonder how the hell you did it." Kiku's face lit up in a smile despite the hard red lines running down his cheeks and his bloodshot eyes.

Before Yao could adequately respond, his old cell phone started to buzz madly in the loaner pants he wore. He figured he must've transferred it there automatically and without much thought after he'd taken a shower. Kiku turned away in silence, leaving Yao to his phone call.

"Gege? It's me, Meimei!" his half-sister's pitched voice practically blared from the phone in Chinese. "You never told us you'd be sleeping over a friend's house!"

Yao peeked over at Kiku wondering if he understood their conversation. Maybe if he spoke fast enough he wouldn't. "Meimei, do you remember Im Yong Soo from camp? He and his family just came back from vacation in South Korea and he wanted to hang out so I ended up staying at his place. Why, did the old man want to know where I was?"

"No, since dad always tries to assert that you're old enough to be on your own and whatnot! That's such bullshit! I'm the only one who really cares for you around here! My boyfriend, Horace Wong that you keep forgetting, drove all over the neighborhood looking for you. Sheesh, I'm the only one who'll prevent you from ending up in jail or worse!" Yao distanced the earpiece from his ear, trying not to become deaf or something. He smiled amusedly, always taking humor from his younger sister's motherly antics.

"Calm down. I'm at his house now with his younger brother, you know, Kiku Honda?" Yao said, throwing in that tidbit just to rile up his sister. Kiku glanced at Yao at the mention of his name, crumpling a tissue he'd gotten which was probably damp from tears.

The line fell silent for a second, and only her breathing could be heard rising up into a dangerous hyperventilating. "What. Are .You. Doing. With. Kiku. Honda," she said slowly, like the building climax to a cork ready to shoot from a champagne bottle.

Aware that Kiku must be present, she drove her voice to a furious whisper. "What are you doing with the hottest guy in the freshman class? H-How come you get to talk to him and I don't?" the fourteen year old girl whimpered. "Do you know how popular he was at freshman orientation? ALL of the girls were trying to crowd near him, he was so hot. It's no secret that he was a super popular model in South Korea with a mysterious past and whatnot! He's a legend here, Gege! And you're talking to him?" Yao slapped a hand to the mouthpiece of the phone as a shattering "KYAAAAAHHHH!" ripped from it like piercing frequencies. Kiku raised an eyebrow at this, only understanding traces of the conversation.

"Well, I'm coming home now, so stop freaking out. You can worship your idol on Monday or whatever. Who knows, you might end up in some classes with him or something. Good luck trying to date him since he is younger than you," Yao finished teasingly.

"Damn it, you have no idea how lucky you are. I want to trade places with you… Ugh, whatever. Just come home so I can stop worrying, okay?" Wanwan pleaded, eliciting a pleasant smile from Yao. He promptly hung up the phone, turning to Kiku.

"Sorry, but I have to leave now," Yao said, Kiku's face suddenly looking crestfallen.

"Hey, no need to worry. Here's my cell phone number if you want to text or call," Yao added reassuringly, scribbling down his number on a pad of piece of paper, shockingly realizing it was the piece Ivan had given detailing last night's party. He swallowed and hastily erased it as best he could, writing his number in its place.

"You're right, Kiku. The two of us should focus on the present instead of the past," he added after giving the paper to Kiku. "I have you to thank for helping me realize that."

Kiku took the paper, smiling faintly, his eyes still holding profound sadness. "Can I see yours? I'll put in mine in your contacts." Yao did as he asked, hearing shrill barking from seemingly nowhere. A small white dog like a puffball practically tumbled down the stairs, skittering as his small legs blurred as he came to Yao and Kiku. Yao picked the leaping and barking dog up, laughing as his nose was quickly dampened by Pochi's small tongue. Had there been a girl there, she would've squealed loudly.

"Hey, Kiku, why were you out in the rain yesterday? Not many people enjoy walks in the rain," Yao said, fending off another volley of licks from the eager puffball. Kiku looked up from his work on Yao's cell phone, eyes downcast.

"My mom died on that day, yesterday. I promised myself I would take a walk and remember her every year on that day from now on," Kiku said quietly. "When I saw you, I knew I had to help. She used to be a heavy drinker before dying and seeing you reminded me of that."

Yao set Pochi on the ground, walking to Kiku and circling an arm around the smaller boy's head. It was something he figured an older brother would do. "Don't hold back the tears. You shouldn't have to keep your emotions pent up." Kiku nodded and tightly embraced Yao, sobbing into his shirt as quietly as he could. Yao let both arms circle the boy, letting him cry every tear out, Pochi whimpering softly at his master's distress.

* * *

Last thoughts: Nyah, pretty sad, ne? In my mind, Kiku's past isn't as far-fetched as you may think. Human trafficking is a pretty serious problem around the world and happens mainly to young children and women. I will admit I got the idea from watching parts of a movie on the Lifetime Movie Network (I was bored!) and it came back to me as I was writing this chappie. You're probably also wondering what happened between Yao and Ivan that made their relationship so bad. No worries; I'll add that in soon. Btw, Horace Wong is Hong Kong's name here; Wanwan is Taiwan's name. If you don't believe me, look it up in the Hetalia wiki.

Also, in terms of Kiku and Yao's relationship, they'll become closer as time passes. If I heap on the shonen-ai/yaoi now it'll ruin the story, so sit tight!

As always, review, review, review!


	4. A Gallon of Good Morning

_Okay, so the first, official day of school._

_Pretty tame, right?_

_You'd say that before you met the people, the messed up people, in my school._

_Damn, someone get me out of this hellhole!_

_

* * *

_

"Dude, I SHAT bricks watching that PV! I'm not even kidding you, Artie! Damn, she's so fucking hot…" Alfred gushed with boundless energy, tagging along with his best friend, Arthur, probably in flames over some new obsession picked up over the weekend.

Yao sighed, annoyed, casting forth his usual, chilly demeanor for the world to avoid. He had his MP3, an old Sansa, tucked in his pocket playing off songs from Guns N' Roses, one of his favorite classic rock bands. He was walking through the atrium to the true interior of the school, enjoying the watery scent like after a fresh summer rain. Alfred had hurriedly taken his laptop from its case, an expensive Macbook Pro Yao noticed with envy, showcasing to Arthur the music video he had so excitedly reviewed. Arthur was taken into it, face flushed and nose near to bleeding; Yao couldn't help but smirk as he walked past them.

"Dude, her boobs are HUGE! Jizz my pants every time I see this… She's hotter than if Megan Fox and Kim Kardashian started making out, or something," Alfred said with obtrusive loudness. Yao ignored that last comment, the urge to investigate peaking his interest somewhat. What? He's a teenage guy. What else do you expect?

He continued on his way, completely sure that he'd make his way to the library, but nooo, fate wanted to throw another screw ball. At him. Again.

The library was filled with the nuts from his childhood and beyond, some trying in vain to study like he'd planned to do, most being loud and boisterous. Gilbert, a German albino, was contenting himself by harassing Elizaveta, a brown-haired girl who seemed completely dense of his advancements. Roderich Edelstein seemed ready to pounce the albino, but Yao could bet he was secretly enjoying it. Elizaveta was well-endowed after all. Ivan was nowhere in sight, and that included his three bitches, who were underclassmen and guys. Im Yong Soo was at a computer no doubt working on homework that was supposed to have been done over the summer, but the junior wasn't the only one. Katsuyasha, Ivan's mega-busty older sister, was shyly flipping through a book on polar bears that Matthew, Alfred's younger brother, seemed to be enjoying as well. There were many other people he'd known from his childhood, but they didn't seem interested in occupying the library at all.

Yao decided to go into the pit, a recessed area that most students except the older ones didn't seem to know about. Peeking in, he was surprised to see Kiku in there, a cap shadowing his face, arms folded and legs propped upon the table. He sneakily crept down the stairs, lowering his backpack to the side. He took the room's only other chair and sank quietly into it, then tapping his shoulder.

"Yao? Oh, hey, what's up?" Kiku yawned and stretched cutely, rubbing his eyes and smiling slightly. Damn, was this kid a trap or what?

"How are you? You know…"

Kiku let his head flop back, arms carelessly resting on his stomach. "Eh, don't worry about that. It's over and past so let's just move on." Yao was surprised by how casual he seemed about it.

"Well, do you need help finding your classes or anything?" Damn, this conversation was going nowhere.

"Nah, I'm good. I can always use Im Yong Soo's GPS if I get lost, you know?" Yao laughed a little at this, Kiku smiling as well.

"Yao? Ah, I thought I'd find you—" a voice interrupted. Yao looked up to see a mess of long, wavy blonde hair, ocean-blue eyes, and a handsome, stubbled face. Shit.

"Why, hello there, mon Cherie," Francis said in a throaty whisper, leaning against the pit's entrance, face twisting into what could only be described as a raep face. He leered at Kiku foot to face, obviously liking what he saw. He hadn't been this interested in anyone since Katsuyasha transferred to Roam a year or so ago, for obvious reasons.

"Yo," Kiku said, flashing a peace sign, oblivious of the danger he was in. How dangerous? Last year, Katsuyasha had been fondled and had nearly lost her bra, outside of school of course. Luckily, Ivan had told Francis off and Katsuyasha hadn't had a problem since. Yeah, he was THAT dangerous.

Yao attempted to glare daggers in a vain attempt to ward Francis away…and failing. Francis winked perversely at Yao who bristled violently in response. He returned his attentions to Kiku, the senior ogling the freshman. New prey on the menu.

"Are you a freshman, mon Cherie? Because all of the freshman are required to report to their advisories and then to the auditorium." Kiku's eyes widened.

"Shit, I totally forgot! Um, do you know where I should go?" Yao wanted to butt in, but something held him back.

Francis smiled deceptively. "I could take you to the office, if you don't know where it is…" His tongue licked his lips when Kiku looked away, the boy reaching for his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder. Yao started to stand as well.

"I can help him find his way, Francis. You can leave now," Yao almost hissed, disguising it with a forced smile. Francis raised an eyebrow at this, wondering why anti-social Yao was suddenly getting so defensive of the younger boy.

"It's quite alright, Yao. It's no problem at all…" Francis acted quickly, surprising everyone. The older man scooped Kiku in his arms and practically flew from the pit, satisfied at his new catch. Kiku squeaked adorably, Elizaveta's yaoi senses tingling. When she caught sight of Francis and Kiku, she squealed loudly, arousing the attention of everyone present. Im Yong Soo wolf-whistled, shouting, "Hey Francis, save some for me!"

Where in the seven hells were the librarians? Damn coffee breaks!

"What the fuck? Dude, put me down!" Kiku shouted, regaining some of his lost dignity. Francis didn't reply and instead snuggled Kiku with his face, delighting in Kiku's frozen and disgusted reaction. Ivan was also present, amusing himself in Yao's flustered actions.

Fucking bystander-lemmings.

"Pedobear strikes again!" Gilbert hollered obnoxiously, fist pumping into the air. Roderich was busy with trying to contain Elizaveta who was snapping as many pictures as humanly possible with her cell phone, screeching whenever he tried to snatch her phone away. Yao was just standing stupidly, brain unable to think of anything.

Francis tossed Kiku slightly who scrambled to grab around his neck like a little kid, which he was. It seemed the Japanese boy was as shell-shocked as he was. Francis laughed and tried to exit the library with a triumphant smirk on his face, but Yao stopped him. He grabbed a fistful of the Frenchie's locks of hair, yanking angrily downwards. This made Francis loose balance, releasing Kiku to gravity as a result. Yao shifted his position to avoid the freefalling Francis, instead getting an armful of Kiku.

He snapped to the ground under Kiku's (light) weight, limbs embarrassingly entwined. The sound of a camera shutter roused him, and he was greeted by Elizaveta's camera phone that was within inches of his face, snapping candid shots of him and Kiku.

He never felt the urge to murder someone as he did now.

Kiku wrenched his eyes open, practically recoiling away from Yao's body. His face darkened in a blush as he struggled to stand. Yao groaned his pain, pretty sure that he'd broken some bones. He experimentally stood up and nothing seemed to be damaged, except his pride. A murderous glare was sent Francis's way and the senior quickly dashed from the library. Everyone except a few people resumed that they were doing as if nothing had happened. They all seemed used to these kinds of occurrences.

"Are you okay?" Elizaveta asked Kiku tenderly, dusting off Kiku's shoulders, he taller than she was, surprisingly. Kiku nodded, wondering what the hell had just happened.

"Yeah…" he said finally, numbly gathering his strewn backpack and its contents. Yao bent down and helped him.

"Sorry." Kiku glanced at him. Yao turned away and continued gathering Kiku's belongings.

"Don't be. It was actually kind of funny," Kiku admitted, laughing. Yao looked at him and quietly chuckled, putting a hand of Kiku's shoulder. Elizaveta seemed unable to contain herself as she snapped new pictures, and when the two Asians turned to look at her suspiciously, she only smiled sheepishly and dashed away. Katsuyasha bent down to help pick up things out of their reach, Matthew helping, both being as kind and quiet as always. When they were finished, Kiku smiled and thanked them, flipping the backpack over his shoulder. The bashful junior and the senior girl departed, side-by-side.

"Um, maybe I'll see you at lunch? I've got 5/6 lunch."

Kiku turned and smiled at him. "Same here. See you later."

* * *

Last thoughts: Short chapter is short. I'll probably update within a few days so hold tight, okay, peeps? I've got other stories to work on so I'm not sure when I'll be able to get to this next…

So, what do you think of their relationship development? I'm just taking it slow since I don't think they'll be b.f.f.'s in five minutes or anything. The incident was kind of unrealistic, but similar things happen in my geometry class like this sometimes… A sophomore in my grade and a freshie act really cute and yaoi-ish sometimes, so I can relate with Elizaveta. XD I think next chappie I'll skip through the day to afterschool and then maybe Yao will tell us what happened to him. Sound good?

As always, review, review, review!


	5. The Weight of a Whisper

_I've always wondered if fate was a real being._

_I thought about it as a kid._

_And the more I dwelt upon it…_

…_I realized that it didn't give a shit about anything but itself._

_

* * *

_

"Im Yong Soo, please get off of me!" Kiku yelped, drawing unnecessary attention to himself. As usual.

"Aw, but Kiku, if don't squeeze your little knockers every once in awhile you won't know if you have breast cancer or not. I'm sure that as your older brother I should care more for my girly little bro," Im Yong Soo protested, hands on Kiku's chest. Kiku was just standing there, trembling and practically steaming, a furiousness rising within. He wanted to fight, but his brain was too fried and he had to resist the _very, very _strong temptation to misuse the chopsticks sticking out of a container of white rice.

Kiku squirmed, eyes squeezing shut as he tried to weakly pry Yong Soo's fingers from his chest. "Seriously, we're brothers! Get off of me already!" Kiku hissed, finally freeing himself. He huffed indignantly, glaring the older boy down. Yong Soo just looked the other way and left the table, whistling a jolly tune, oblivious to the attention he was attracting. Well, Yong Soo did have to uphold his rep as a perv. He couldn't let the douchebag Francis steal it from under his nose.

He tried eating his rice in peace only to have a horde of eyes staring him down like a snake to a mouse. He swung around and was shocked to find a young, blond-haired girl skittishly backing away. She was cute, he had to admit.

"Can I help you?" Kiku asked wearily, having been shaken by the morning's little occurrence.

"Are you okay, Kiku? I saw you in the library this morning and I just wanted to know if you were alright. I'm sure Francis was just kidding around," she practically squeaked, holding a hand to her chest. She had hair that was cropped to her neck, a ribbon dangling from the side of her face.

"I'm alright, really," Kiku flashed her one of his now-famous smiles, "but thanks anyway." He turned away to resume eating. Soon, a horde of well-wishing freshmen girls descended upon him, all crowding around the lunch table like flies to a rotting corpse. It annoyed the hell out of him, but he was too polite to turn them away.

"That sounds so scary! At least you're okay. Ugh, I'm so not voting him on to the Security Council this year!" a freshman girl huffed, folding her arms. She had somewhat bushy brows, her curly brown hair pulled into a side ponytail, a flower scrunchie in her hair. "Oh, Kiku, are you in Art 1? Because I am." Her brown eyes glittered with promise, but her flirtations were obvious. The multitude of girls gathered glared at her with jealousy in their eyes.

"Um, yeah, I'm in Art 1… But, uh, have any of you seen Yao Wang? The junior on the Security Council?" Kiku said, looking somewhat anxious. It had only been a few hours since they'd promised to meet and already they were halfway through lunch. The girls were all piqued, wondering why their idol wanted to know the whereabouts of the famous anti-social junior. Everyone usually tended to steer clear of the hot-headed Asian.

"You're looking for my brother?" Wanwan piped up, rising from her seat. She gestured for Kiku to come to her, which he did. The flock of girls talked among themselves, deciding to give the two privacy, much to their chagrin.

Kiku bent down to listen through the older girl's cupped hands. "He's usually out back where the dumpsters are. If you see smoking it means he's there," she whispered. Kiku rose and said a hasty "thank you" before leaving the cafeteria.

He walked through the halls, dodging under the small door windows and eventually reaching the outside. The high sun blazed of the parking lot, waves of heat conjuring images of water before his eyes. Kiku trekked around the side of the large modern school until he came to a recessed area with no windows, just as Wanwan had said. There were several dumpsters, mostly for recycling. Kiku saw the telltale wafts of smoke rising into the air from behind one of the recycling containers.

Kiku crept to it, discovering Yao taking in a dreg from his cigarette and puffing smoke rings from his lips. Ear buds from his Sansa MP3 were lodged in his ears, the junior oblivious to the world. Kiku meekly revealed himself, stepping from his hiding place and standing before the upperclassman. Yao lazily looked up, taking another dreg from his cigarette. He patted the ground near him and smiled, smoke coiling from between his teeth. Kiku was slightly revolted by it but tried to keep his cool.

"So, how are you?" Yao began, crushing the spent butt into the pavement and flicking it away. He removed a packet of cigs from his pant pocket and pulled another out with his teeth. Kiku found the lighter next to the older boy and flicked it on, a hand shielding the small flame from the wind. Yao clamped the cigarette steadily between his teeth until it was lit. Kiku returned the lighter to Yao's side.

"Thanks," Yao said, smiling amicably. Kiku returned the gesture, curling his knees to his chin.

"I'm good. But, what are you doing out here alone?" Kiku asked. He gazed at the junior sidelong, trying to gauge his reaction.

"I'm just trying to get away from everyone else. The library's always crowded and the cafeteria's always too loud." Yao released a stream of the tobacco smoke. "Why were you looking for me? No one ever does."

"I was just worried about you. Besides, you promised to meet me at lunch. I got concerned when you didn't show up, so here I am," Kiku explained, leaning his head against the dumpster, watching cotton balls of clouds slip lazily past, their grey undersides making him pretend they were underwater for a second.

Yao ruffled the boy's hair. "Thanks. It's kind of nice knowing that at least someone would care if I jumped off of a cliff or something." He voice held a twinge of bitterness.

Kiku gave him an even look, his eyes looking rather concerned. "That's not true. Lots of people care for you. You shouldn't be so down on yourself."

"Do you want one?" Yao offered him the packet. "If you're feel like you're going to break down again, it might help you calm down." Kiku just shook his head.

"No amount of tobacco or alcohol will solve your problems," Kiku said softly.

"Well, isn't someone a little preachy today," Yao said, smiling wistfully. "Yeah, I already know all that shit about lung cancer and whatnot. I don't care. Besides, I'm going to quit once life stops sending its little love letters into my life." Another smoke-laden exhalation.

"Sorry. I don't smoke. Back in my modeling days I was so disgusted by what it did to people that it kind of scarred me for life. I wouldn't do it even if I wanted to." Kiku felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes, his vision glazing over.

"Alright, that's cool. No one's gonna force you." Yao ground the spent cigarette into the brick wall nearest to him.

"I saw Ivan in the halls today. He wanted to know why I was hanging out with you so much," Kiku started, changing the conversation.

"You did, huh," Yao stated simply, rolling a pebble absently on the palm of his hand. He looked detached, eyes staring into nothingness.

"I just told him that we were friends. For some reason he started laughing and walked off. I didn't get it, but I decided he was probably remembering this morning," Kiku shrugged, tossing a pebble of his own repeatedly in his hands.

"Kiku, that's not the reason. The reason he was laughing is because the big douche is a homophobe."

"Uh, okay, but I don't see how that—"

"Kiku, I'm gay."

As soon as those blunt words passed from Yao's lips, Kiku's felt himself heat up. His face was a heady red, trying to avoid Yao's gaze. It wasn't that he was homophobic himself; he had been brought up to accept everyone, no matter their differences in anything. It just shocked him. When he had been living in Japan he had once accidently taken a peek at a hardcore yaoi manga in a bookstore, witnessing a sex scene. At the time he hadn't known about sexuality and how babies were made, but it had still shocked him considerably. Sexual anything made him uncomfortable.

Yao sighed. "No need to freak. You are a really cute boy, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna fuck with you. It's just something you need to know, you know? We are friends, aren't we?" He wondered if Kiku would avoid him from now on. "I mean, come on, you don't get a boner for every girl you see, do you?"

"O-Of course not? It's just that I don't know anything about…s-sex…" Words failed Kiku, but the heat on his cheeks didn't fail to darken. Yao put a hand to Kiku's forehead, smirking despite himself at how hot Kiku was getting. The things most kids his age were used to were things he'd been shielded from. He might have even been disturbed by it in the time period that he'd been kidnapped.

"Um, what's a…boner?" Kiku asked, eyes a little too innocent-looking in contrast to the question he was asking.

"Do you want to find out?" Yao laughed, tossing away the pebble in his hand. He advanced upon Kiku, pushing the boy to the concrete and hovering over him on all fours. He brushed some hair behind his ear, smiling seductively, pony tail cascading over his shoulder and brushing Kiku's cheek.

He stroked a finger beneath Kiku's jaw, feeling the hardness of the boy's jaw and the smoothness of his skin flow past beneath his fingertips. Kiku screeched something in Japanese, forgetting his English for a minute. He scrambled from underneath Yao, blushing furiously.

"Why don't you stop thinking with your dick?" Kiku yelped, staring at Yao like he was some wild animal. "What is this, Sex Ed?" His flustered expression caused Yao to break into riotous laughter.

Kiku leaned back against the dumpster, sniffing and playing once more with a pebble. "You know, your being gay changes nothing, Yao. I still want to be your friend…" he said softly, tossing pebbles away one by one.

"That means a lot to me, Kiku." He gave Kiku a sincere smile, the young boy smiling back. They watched the traffic in the nearby street shoot past, the echoes of their travel ricocheting in the lee of the school. It was like sitting next to a highway.

Kiku reached next to him, tossing Yao a soda. He'd brought it with him with the intent of giving it to the older boy, anyways. He didn't even drink soda.

Yao caught it and popped the tab, taking a long drink. He sighed, glad to have the cold liquid soothe his burning throat. "Thanks," he breathed after drinking his way through half. He lazed against the dumpster, feeling happier than he had all day.

"No problem." Kiku curled his knees close to him again. "Hey, Yao? What happened between Ivan and you? Weren't you going to tell me?" He asked gently, not trying to press his curiosity on to Yao.

Yao suddenly became sullen and silent. He absent-mindedly took a drink of the soda, gazing at the concrete.

He leaned back against the dumpster, thinking for a moment. "Well, it's obvious that you know that I'm gay. Alright, well, it happened like this." His expression became hard and solemn.

"I knew Ivan for awhile. We were best friends for the longest of times and he was like an older brother to me. That didn't last. Soon after entering high school, I started to develop stronger feelings for him. Mid-way through last year I couldn't hold it in anymore. I tried to feel brave; it was the day before Winter break and I thought that I did it then, I could just tell him, get the hell away before he could give me an answer. Basically I was gonna bounce before I could hear his answer. I just went up to him in the parking lot and told him straight out. I didn't look at him or anything. I just found my dad and his car and got the hell away from him. A few days later, I didn't hear anything from him. Winter break ended and so did my patience with him. That was when I started to be avoided by everyone; they ignored me and all of my 'friends' ditched me. It turned out that Ivan had spread the word of my sexuality in any way he could: Twitter, Facebook, his huge ass network of people; whoever had ears or eyes and knew Ivan knew the news. You might not know this, but our city is a nest of homophobes. Francis is one of the only people who understood since he's bi, but he doesn't understand completely. I was the butt of harassment and bullying for the rest of the year and no one came in to give a shit about me. Today is the first time anyone has accepted me outside of my family since then, Kiku." He gazed in earnest at the younger boy, smiling gratefully. "I might be a real prick sometimes, but that's just because of what's happened this past year. I want someone like you to see the real me."

Kiku blushed and shyly looked away. "I'm sorry that happened to you. But what about last Friday? Why were you so wasted?"

Yao froze, a lump forming in his throat. "Oh, um… Ivan invited me to that party. I thought maybe he wanted to reconcile for last year, but someone told me in AP Bio that it was just a ploy to try to catch me screwing another guy and possibly get me framed for sexual harassment or some shit like that. Damn, I'm through with that bastard. He can go to Hell for all I care," Yao scoffed, swinging back another sip of the soda.

Kiku, with nothing on his mind to say, glanced at his watch. "We have minutes until class starts. Do you want to get a head start?" Yao nodded, pulling his backpack on his shoulders.

Kiku walked up to Yao, almost close enough to hug the older boy. His sensitive nose flared slightly and inhaled for a moment, luxuriant eyelashes fluttering as he opened his eyes again. "You smell like cigarette smoke a little too strongly, Yao. You could get in trouble," Kiku pointed out, a playful smile gracing his full lips. Yao swallowed, feeling himself becoming turned on by the boy's angelic appearance. Small wonder practically every girl who laid their eyes on him wanted a piece of the beautiful boy.

Yao just looked away and smirked. "I already do. Besides, my grades are so good that my teachers usually don't care."

He suddenly took Kiku around the neck and held him for a moment, giving him a one-armed hug. "Hey, thanks for listening. I really needed that catharsis."

Kiku drew himself away, a breeze ruffling his hair briefly. He gestured for Yao to follow, starting back inside.

They walked through the halls in silent companionship, enjoying the quiet before the three-minute bell executed that savory peace. Kiku walked ahead into the cafeteria, finding his things had been protected by the blonde- and brown-haired girls he'd met earlier, both bashful and rather modest when he commended them for it. They saw Yao nearby, obviously having been told of the rumors about the boy, and ignored him. The brown-haired girl whispered something in the blonde-haired girl's ear, both of their eyes trained on the junior.

Kiku seemed oblivious of this when he scampered to Yao's side, happy and carefree as usual. "You ready to go?" he asked cheerfully.

"Yeah," Yao replied, turning away to feel the sting of the girls' bitter stare.

The news of their friendship would most likely be the controversial rage of tomorrow.

* * *

Last thoughts: Aw man, I'm so sorry for keeping this from you for months! It's been forever! I think that to make up for it I'll release a few more chapters in the upcoming weeks. It's just that I've been preoccupied and dealing with life, especially when it comes to my other fanfics… I might even throw of a few of my other couple preferences in just to shake it up a bit.

The problems of homosexuality and bullying (in all of their forms) are a very prevalent problem here. My goal is to try to accurately paint a picture of the challenges people like Yao have to endure, from school problems to their love lives. Mainstream society is much more closed-minded than we like to pretend here; we like to spread love and joy when beneath the surface lurks racists and just flat-out cruel people. I will be focusing on the American facet of these problems, drawing plot from my own life experiences. This story is much more personal than some of you may think it is. As I go along it will only reveal more of my thoughts and feelings about life and how I would deal with them. And I'm doing that by channeling through the history that can create parallels with this story, that which form the character's thoughts and decision making. For example, China is largely an outcast and shunned at school despite his stunning performance. He's amazing with his grades and works hard (real China's economic prosperity and academic standards), but at the same time he was betrayed by his best friend/crush (Russia assisted Commie China, but there was a lot of backstabbing and eventually threats of a war), and he's shunned by the student body (Democratic society cracking down upon China for human rights violations, the flaws of a Communist regime, etc.), his becoming cold and distant (China's strengthening military that's kept as a secret from the world). Kiku, too, can draw from real-life parallels as well. Kiku's kidnapping and push to fame through shady means (the Meiji Restoration at the threat of being taken over by foreign nations, Japan's military dictatorship during WWII that basically took advantage of the people by means of force and re-education), his changing attitudes (Japan's political instability, white-washing, their sincerity towards many countries, the malevolence existing between Chinese and Japanese governments today). By doing this I hope I can keep this within the scope of Hetalia without deviating into a completely unrecognizable story. Hopefully there will be many enjoyable moments and a happy ending~

Whoa, long essay-thing is long. Sorry if I made your brainz hurt, but I just needed to explain myself for some things—no hard feelings?

Btw, the blond-haired girl is Liechtenstein and the brown-haired one is the Principality of Wy, not some random OC. Check the Hetalia Wiki if you don't believe me~

As always, review, review, review!


	6. A Meter of Misery

_I was beginning to realize that my life wasn't the hardest one out there._

_We've all got our shit to deal with..._

_...and yet we always have to count our blessings._

_Maybe that's why I couldn't stand being without him.  
_

* * *

After a full day of being chased around by hormone-driven teenage girls, after being inundated with slips of paper containing phone numbers, gym class promised to be peaceful. And why shouldn't it be? The gym teacher only asked for the students to walk around the indoor or outdoor tracks, or he simply let them do as they wished in the weight room. However, the scrappier, more cunning students hung out behind the enormous bleachers and among the smelly, diseased wrestling mats.

In one of the farther corners, the entire gym being encompassed by large windows, was a large heap of such mats. Kiku was hidden behind there, cautiously tempting fate by peeking over it slightly to make sure none of the crazed freshman girls were on patrol for him. He lowered his gaze and resumed listening to music of his iPod nano, trying to drown out the drone of the many voices talking within the gym. Even the last period of the day wasn't as quiet as he'd hoped.

"Hey, what are you doing back there?" Kiku yelped slightly, a hand clutched his chest, his heart hammering against his chest. He looked cautiously up to see a cute girl with long brown hair pulled back into pigtails that were draped over her shoulders. Next to her was the most beautiful person he thought he'd ever see. The boy looked to be no more than a few years older than Kiku, at the most. He had a bed head of startlingly light blonde hair that looked silvery in the light, large, curious violet eyes circled by thick and dark eyelashes. His face was elongated with high cheekbones and pointed at his chin, his jaws somewhat wide, like a female model. His nose was tapered like a pixie's and his lips were rather large and soft-looking. Even from his modeling days, there were hardly any boys as good-looking as this one.

The albino boy seemed equally transfixed, their eyes locked with one another.

"Oh, wow," the tanned girl gasped, "they really weren't lying. Looks like you're not the only prince anymore." She directed her warm brown eyes at Kiku. "You're so beautiful, for a boy. You two look like angels."

The older boy broke his gaze, glancing once at the girl, then back at Kiku. "Can you let us in there with you?" the boy said in a whispery voice. "I'm kinda in the same situation as you." He looked wearily over his shoulder, eyes hardening like crystal.

"Of course!" Kiku said, taken aback. He moved towards the corner, accommodating the slim girl and the thin boy.

The other boy exhaled, running his fingers through his hair. "Thanks. My sister and I needed to get away from all of those girls…" Kiku nodded, understanding perfectly what he was going through.

"Oh, sorry for being so rude! My name is Maria Steilsson. This is my half-brother, Emil Steilsson. We're both sophomores. How about you?" the girl started kindly, smiling warmly.

Kiku smiled back. "Um, I'm Kiku Honda. I'm a freshman. It's nice meeting you guys." He turned towards Emil. "Um, so you mentioned having problems too?"

Emil sighed. "Yeah, same as you. Endless chains of phone numbers, being chased around. It's annoying as hell," he huffed. As proof, he reached into his pockets and scooped out an enormous amount of paper, riddled with letters, tracked across with endless numbers. It was a mathematician's nightmare.

Kiku laughed, doing the same. Combined they could've made a lanyard a mile long. Or something.

Emil quirked a smile, seeming to be a lot more reserved in a more mature way. Maria seemed amused.

"You know, you two have been attracting a ton of attention. They've been calling Emil here the Silver Prince and I think they've been calling you the Raven Prince. Pretty ridiculous, huh?" she laughed, her eyes bright and dancing. "Even girls in the older grades have caught on to it. They just won't stop!"

Emil started laughing into his hand, the earlier hardness from earlier melting away completely. "You'd think it'd nice having all of those girls chasing after you."

Kiku joined in as well, glad to have made friends with such kind people already. There was always a huge difference between friends and those who wanted him only for superficial reasons.

"I know, right? I mean, not all of them are bad looking, but some are just…ugh," Emil sighed, glancing away and smiling wryly. Maria just giggled to herself before relaxing against the mats and sighing contentedly.

"Hey, Kiku, where do you live?" Maria asked, Emil seeming to want to know the same thing even though he didn't say anything.

"I live on Westcott, at the very end where the cul-de-sac is. How about you guys?" Kiku asked in turn.

"Omigosh, really? Same here, though our house is about a couple of houses away from the cul-de-sac. Oh wow, this is just too awesome, huh, Emil?" She playfully jabbed Emil's arm. The boy laughed once before sobering.

"We could walk home together, if you want, Kiku. We might have to make a run for it if any of our fangirls find out though," Emil laughed. He seemed to have loosened up considerably.

"That sounds like a lot of fun!" Kiku agreed.

It seemed that things were starting to finally become better for him.

* * *

Yao was finally finished with his last class, orchestra, although it seemed Kiku had it at another period. It was understandable since the class wasn't large enough to accommodate for Roam's rather large orchestra. When he'd asked the orchestra teacher if he'd seen the pretty young boy at all, the orchestra teacher couldn't seem to do anything but gush about the boy as if he were the man's son. This irked Yao. He wasn't starting to strongly resent Kiku's popularity; at this rate the boy would need a secretary for his social life.

Or maybe he was just jealous. He hated seeing all of those girls chasing after the younger boy like he was a trophy to be won. It was hardly any wonder he was gay. Aside from his sister, every girl seemed to be the same slutty cow, none different from the next, all clinging to their gossip and designer labels like they'd die without them. Maybe he was just being prejudiced, but being a loner fostered within him a stubbornness to accept only his perception of the world. And from what he saw, the world was a pretty shitty place to be right now.

Packing away his violin, he stopped suddenly. He raised two fingers to his lips, remembering Friday night. That kiss may have been triggered by him being drunk, but that didn't help the fact that he'd enjoyed it. Guiltily, he wanted Kiku for himself.

He lusted after the boy.

And yet he wanted it to be so much more.

His eyes wandered to the room's only window, the room being on the first floor, and glanced outside.

By fate's guileless hand, he happened to look out the window. He saw Kiku walking with Emil and Maria, underclassmen to him. Emil was a boy who'd caught his interest in the past, but the Silver Prince was too far out of his league. Besides, the boy was too cold and impregnable for him. Emil was simply another pretty face lusted after by many.

Maria was a fairly good-looking girl in her own right. She was fairly popular with the boys and had an exorbitant number of friends and admirers. She and her brother were among those envied by those who perceived themselves to be lowly. Yao didn't care much for her, but her newfound association with Kiku reared within him the ugly, green-eyed monster.

He stared on, deciding he would have a little chat with Kiku tonight, if he could even reach the boy.

* * *

"Thanks for letting us stay over for a bit, Kiku." Kiku turned to his newfound friends, both sitting comfortably on one of the white couches in Kiku's living room. All three friends had walked arm-in-arm on the way home, Maria sandwiched between the two boys christened as "Princes." She seemed to be the only one able to talk to Kiku normally, which the younger boy enjoyed immensely.

It turned out that Maria and Emil were fourteen and fifteen, respectively. Emil had a sad past of his own. Emil had been the byproduct of a college fling, his mother a destitute, ailing woman who eventually came to Emil's biological father and asked him to raise their hidden son, she dying shortly afterwords. Although the beautiful boy looked nothing like his handsome, dark-skinned father, biological tests confirmed their relations. Being born albino may have also contributed to his alien appearance compared to his sister who more closely resembled their father. It seemed that Emil was accepted easily into the family, Maria's mother being a sympathetic, warm-hearted woman. Kiku wished he could return to his mother. He didn't even know who his father was.

A phone suddenly rang through their joviality, startling Kiku. Emil reached into his pocket and pulled out his iPhone, looking rather testy as he did. He pressed the button and silently stalked off into the kitchen, leaving Kiku and Maria behind to talk. Kiku gave the girl a confused glance and she only shrugged her shoulders.

"That's just Emil's agent. He's a model, just so you know." Kiku gulped, suddenly remembering that the whole school knew about his own modeling past, or at least the galmourous facets of it.

"What agency does he work for?" Kiku tried, surprised to find the words slipping unintentionally past his lips.

Maria brightened. She seemed glad to see Kiku interested.

"He works for Angelique Model Management. They're a company managed by Elite, so Emil's agency is hoping that he can transfer to Elite before he enters college. It's amazing having a brother who has done something so spectacular. I'm kinda jealous of him, but I have no interest in modeling. I've been scouted by much smaller agencies, but I have zero interest in it. Besides, pretty boys like you and him are better suited to it, am I right?" Maria said, sighing as she sipped happily from her small mug of tea.

Emil exited from the kitchen, having finished his conversation. He seemed a bit lighter in his mood, but his even, stoic expression belied nearly nothing. His eyes were rather soft, however.

"Well, I've got good news. Seems I'll be going to Turkey after all for that photo shoot during winter break. The pay is supposed to be terrific, so maybe I can buy mom that new car she's been wanting," Emil said, faintly smiling. Kiku understood completely; he liked pleasing people whenever he could, especially his new family.

His face darkened somewhat suddenly as he plopped between Kiku and Maria, rubbing his temples. "That Feliks annoys the hell out of me though! Calling at such an off time. I always tell him my job waits until the weekend…"

Maria smiled knowingly. "You're just mad that he interrupted the time you expecting for Mr. Adnan to call."

Kiku looked confused again. "Mr. Adnan?"

Emil glowered at his sister but she continued despite his menacing stare.

"Emil has a major crush on Mr. Adnan, the Turkish teacher. He's even taking Mr. Adnan's class and getting private tutoring from him," she announced happily. "Oh, Kiku, just so you know, my brother is bi. You don't mind, do you?"

Emil sprang from the couch. "Okay, I like him, so there! But I don't like him sexually, okay? It's confusing so please don't say anything!" Emil cried, clenching his fists together. He took a shaky breath, calming down and sitting back between them.

Kiku held his hands up placatingly. "It's okay. I wasn't brought up to be all homophobe-y or racist or anything. I'm okay with anything, really." Emil seemed to calm down at that, but he still looked troubled.

"Thanks, Kiku. My parents can't know. My mom might be okay if she found out; by my dad is extremely homophobic and very by-the-Bible. If he finds out, he'd never want to talk to me again. He told us himself that he'd disown us if we were like that. I'm glad he's not racist, but…" Emil hung his head. "When I go to Turkey, I asked my dad if Sadik, Mr. Adnan, could come. He agreed since he and Sadik are long-time friends. My dad knew his dad from the Vietnam War and have been friends ever since. He looks at Sadik like he's my brother…"

"I only like girls sexually, but Sadik is different…he just gets me, you know? It's like we're soul mates."

Kiku nodded. "I don't know the feeling, but I'm happy for you. I hope you're happy with him," Kiku congratulated. Something tugged at his heartstrings, but he didn't know for the life of him what it was.

"Thank you, Kiku," Emil smiled gratefully, gazing outside the picturesque windows with a peaceful expression.

Maria sighed, leaning her head on Kiku's shoulder, taking the younger boy's hand and holding it tenderly. Kiku reciprocated both gestures, leaning his head on Maria's.

"My Raven Prince…" she whispered dreamily, slipping off into a light sleep. Emil chuckled at the younger girl, sipping a bit of his tea as well.

Kiku let his eyes droop contentedly, his heart fluttering warmly.

His world had never felt so perfect.

* * *

Yao slammed his car door closed, watching as Wanwan scampered towards Kiku who was walking ahead, stopping dead in her tracks. Her, and Yao's, eyes became transfixed on Kiku's hand that was holding that of another girl's. Yao saw as Maria, the one holding Kiku's hand, suddenly turned on her heel and embraced Kiku tightly. The distant laughter of he and Emil, Maria's slightly older brother, rang across the tree-sheltered parking lot. Yao angrily clenched his hands into fists at the sight of the young couple, suddenly finding himself filled with an intense anger.

For the past two weeks Kiku had been avoiding him. He knew well enough that Kiku was an extremely popular and busy kid, but it got to the point that Kiku couldn't even say hello to him in the halls. If he wasn't distracted by his new girlfriend (he gritted his teeth at the thought of her) and friend, they would've hung out more. What's more, Yao had been working extra hours at work so he and Wanwan had to leave school as soon as the last bell rang so he could arrive on time. Kiku didn't even come visit him at lunch anymore.

Maria was a problem as well. From what he knew, she hogged what was left of Kiku's time by going on dates. Sometimes Emil joined the fray and all three friends would hit the beach near Kiku's house or the mall or even the old game arcade in town. It was starting to piss Yao off.

He stormed forward as he saw Kiku get his arm looped around by Maria, the two laughing and walking towards the entrance, Emil walking backwards just ahead of them. He was jealous of Kiku's happiness.

Once he was inside, he saw the three underclassmen head towards the library, he heading in the same direction in hopes of reminding Kiku that he still existed.

In the library, the usual hell had frozen over. It seemed every student had procured a copy of the school newspaper and was reading it with incredible zeal. Even the library's three personnel were hawking over it, each reading it in stunned silence. Yao saw Kiku make a dash for the pit, his girlfriend and friend in tow. Yao glanced at a copy lying with other in a neat square heap upon the floor, stunned at the headline:

**Kiku Honda: Famous Model, Horrific Past**

_Read of this boy's brave journey through human trafficking, his life as a model in bondage. Tear past the glamour and read the story of one boy's horrific journey through slavery and abuse!_

_Details on…_

Yao desperately searched for an author, wondering who would do such a thing.

_Written and researched by Ivan Braginski_

_Co-written by…_

A morbid curiosity overtook him and he felt his hand grasp the smooth and soft newspaper. He retreated between a tall pair of bookcases, devoid of occupants, and began reading. He felt his heart turn cold at the thought of Ivan who basically took the boy's already fragile constitution and had now destroyed it through publicly humiliating him, masking it as a noble effort to unveil the ugliness of Kiku's past and the story behind human trafficking.

Yao read intensely, shocked to see that every detail of Kiku's story and more were detailed in fine print. Everything was ridiculously well-researched down to the beatings and even the names of Kiku's former masters, pictures showcasing an ethereal-looking being silently stomp a runway, another of the red-light district he'd been contained in, and various others. It went on to read like an emotional appeal that begged the reader to do what they could to prevent it, to look for it, and to report it. It was no doubt that the cheesy stuff was the work of someone else. Someone like Ivan was only interested in sabotaging Kiku for whatever vendetta he had against the boy.

Yao angrily crumpled the newspaper and tossed it in a recycling bin, brows knit together and eyes glinting dangerously.

He stalked towards the pit, thankfully unknown to much of the school, and walked down the stairs. There he found Kiku being held by Maria, sobbing hard into her sweater, the young girl crying softly herself. She kept whispering "I'm sorry" to the fragile boy, only getting a flushed face and harder tears in turn. Emil was transfixed to the small print, eyes engaged in a dance with those cruel yet buttered up words. It seemed they knew of Ivan already since both of them were as emotionally impacted as Yao was.

What he did shocked all of them.

Yao pulled Kiku up by a free hand, easily wrenching him from Maria's embrace. He pulled Kiku into his waiting arms, an arm circling his lower waist and another holding his head close, the boy's face nearly buried in his shoulder. Kiku's hands clung to Yao in return, sobs shaking his small frame. The junior whispered soothing words in Chinese, knowing that Kiku probably understood him. Kiku was too numbed by today's occurrence to reply, his words blubbering through his tears, muffled by Yao's clothing. Yao only held him tighter, fearing that the younger boy would fall apart at any time.

After several minutes of this, Yao let Kiku go, but only slightly. "Come on, I'm going to take you to the nurse's office." Kiku seemed too dazed and upset and confused to even stand properly.

"It's okay, we can take him…" Maria faltered, not even knowing Yao's name. Emil seemed stuck in the same rut. Her brown eyes glittered from the tears and she collapsed to the ground, caught by her brother.

"I'm sorry…" she cried, breaking down again. "It's just so horrible…it's too much… Kiku…!"

"Take care of her," Yao told Emil softly, the albino boy nodding slightly. He held Maria close to his chest, letting the younger girl cry her feelings out.

Yao, meanwhile, had to focus on Kiku. He lifted the boy in his arms, holding him like one would a woman. He was surprised to find that Kiku barely weighed anything at all, like he was but one feather.

He carefully tread over the stairs, trying to keep Kiku as still as possible. The boy looked more beautiful and vulnerable than ever before, causing Yao to lift to the boy closer to his chest protectively. Once they exited he was barraged with many a girl's questions of concern, but one glare shut them up and kept them away. It was like that until they reached the nurse's office.

Once there they found it empty except for the hardened face of one of the nurses, her spectacled eyes practically glazing over the article starring Kiku. She looked up and started at the sight of Yao holding Kiku, immediately taking them to a private room with a few bare beds for lying upon.

"I'm afraid I can't attend to him right away. The principle wants me to look though the boy's records and conduct a thorough search. My hands are tied until I'm finished which won't be for a few hours. Could you please attend to him until then? I'd really appreciate it," the nurse smiled stiffly, leaving the two of them alone.

Yao merely nodded, mouth drawn into a hard line. The middle-aged woman shut the door behind her, leaving them completely alone.

Placing Kiku upon the bed, he shifted to boy's head to his lap. Kiku stirred slightly, but the excessive crying seemed to have exhausted him. His breathing was relaxed, but he occasionally whispered fears, like he was having nightmares.

Yao tenderly stroked his fingers through young Kiku's hair, instantly making the boy relax.

One of the boy's eyes opened.

"Mom…?"

* * *

Last thoughts: Dude, this chappie was rather baw-face. It didn't mean to make it so sad, but that's just how it rolled through my mind! I swear, I'm like an angst-a-holic.

Again, some details are purely shonen-ai and not real to life. I think that Ivan sabotaging is kind of propaganda, especially during WWII when Japan was the enemy and whatnot. I still need to work out a more concise motive, but I think he just wants attention. The Ivan in this story is really manipulative and cruel, so I'm just gonna warn you now...

Just so you know, Maria is Seychelles and Emil is Iceland; Feliks, Emil's agent, is Poland. I totally threw in some TurkIce simply because I've fallen for the pairing~ Besides, this story is also about forbidden love. Ivan's got some romancing comin' up soon, just you wait~ I'm probably not going to throw in every Hetalia character, but many will be making plot-worthy cameos. I just wanted lesser-known ones to have more of a spotlight, you know? Oh, I made Seychelles' name Maria because Himeruya hasn't thought up anything for her yet, and since she's supposed to speak a combo of French and English, Maria is a name used in both languages so that's how it came about. Seychelles/Japan isn't a crack pairing or anything, is it?

As always, review, review, review!


	7. A Gram of Good Luck

_I began to wonder where the hell my life was going._

_I wondered who was coming with me…_

…_Who would share in the spoils and the pit falls._

_Looking back, I wondered why I didn't figure it out sooner._

_

* * *

_

_Mom…? _Yao gazed tenderly at the young boy, watching streams of tears cascading down his cheeks.

Kiku reached a hand to brush it on Yao's cheek. The older boy held it there, eyes transfixed to Kiku's enigmatic ones. "It's okay, Kiku. You're safe now. No one will harm you…" Where did those words come from? They made Yao feel nostalgic.

Kiku's eyes abruptly hardened and became steely. He turned his head away, freeing his hand from Yao's and rising upwards. Kiku was slumped over now, a hand to half of his face like a phantom's mask. He lowered that hand, taking in a deep and shaky breath.

"I'm sorry, about that, Yao. Mistaking you for my mom… She's dead, and yet I foolishly hoped…" Kiku turned around, a bright smile painted upon his face, his eyes still harboring tears. "Thank you for comforting me. I need to get back to Maria and Emil so maybe we can straighten this fiasco out." Kiku rose to stand, but was stopped by a vice on his arm.

"We don't see each other for two weeks and you want to leave…? Kiku, I've wanted to see you, to talk to you. Can't you stay for a minute more? You're always with them," Yao pleaded, his voice emotional, a first in a long time. He hardened his eyes, feeling the hurt welling up inside.

"Yao…" was all Kiku said as a loud rapping sounded through the small confines of the room.

"Yes?" Kiku inquired loudly, enough so for the person outside to hear.

"Kiku! It's me, Maria! Listen, the principal is waiting with Emil and he wants to see you right away. Come on, I'll be with you and so will Emil so you won't be alone, okay?" Kiku paused to smile to himself, a small blush coating his cheeks, Yao noted with hints of jealousy in his gaze.

Kiku turned to Yao, the smile still there but the blush gone. "You're still the person I like the most, Yao. But…I really like Maria. She's become very precious to me, and Emil has become one of my closest friends besides you. But…I can't just chose. You're all very dear to me. I've told each of you my deepest secrets and yet you still accepted me. I don't know what will happen after this, but I know I have you three to be there in case everyone turns against me."

Maria opened the door, immediately taken into Kiku's warm embrace, the younger girl a few inches shorter. Her eyes were rimmed with red, but she looked happy, like a child taken into their mother's arms. She sighed, hugging him back tightly. "Thank you, Maria, for everything." Maria was reminded of earlier and she gave a small smile.

She looked up at Kiku tenderly and slowly she kissed his cheek, making him blush. Kiku held her, forehead to forehead, time seeming to stop for the two young lovers. Yao looked away, feeling utterly sick at the sight of them.

"Oh, and thank you too, Yao! You've been so kind to Kiku. I can't thank you enough. Let's all hang out sometime!" Maria said before taking Kiku's hand and leading him from the nurse's office. Kiku didn't say any farewells, totally enraptured by his little butterfly.

Yao absently watched the door swing closed by itself, eyes staring into oblivion.

He couldn't trust Kiku or Maria to their word.

He was alone again.

* * *

"Young man, I'm extremely sorry for this grave transgression on part of the school. We weren't notified of this inappropriate newspaper release…" The principal rested his chin on interlaced hands, piercing blue eyes sunken into weathered, creased wrinkles around his face. He was an African-American man, much older than his countenance belied. Known as Mr. Smith around the school, he was the one the situation had been foisted upon. Kiku felt guilty for what his past had brought upon the school, but the older man had a different idea in mind.

Sitting near the desk on simple chairs were Mr. and Mrs. Yong Soo, both Asiatic parents silent with worry and fear. Mr. Yong Soo was a well-groomed, handsome man with a stern face and strong features, as well as black hair peppered grey, dressed in a formal suit, he having come directly from his work. Mrs. Yong Soo was a delicate woman with a squared but handsome face, resembling her only biological son. Her long, charcoal hair was pulled into a flawless bun and she wore a dress suit as well; she was the vice-president of her husband's company, a crisp and intelligent woman. However, at this meeting, she seemed less graceful than what Kiku knew her to be; she was a vulnerable mother now trying to be strong for her son even though he wasn't their true one.

"Mr. Smith, we've tried our best to ensure Kiku has had a safe and nurturing environment since coming to live with us. I'm not sure what you have in mind, but I will not see my son become the butt of childish jokes and cruel humiliation! If you cannot even supervise that ward of the student body then I will not think twice from withdrawing him from this school!" Mr. Yong Soo said passionately, hands clenching into fists. His wife gazed at him worriedly, taking his hand in hers and rubbing it soothingly.

Mr. Yong Soo calmed down, his brows still furrowed and his mouth a hard, thin line. Kiku paled, swallowing anxiously. He, Maria, and Emil were sitting with Kiku on a hard wooden bench, allowed to do so only at Kiku's behest. Maria was holding Kiku's hand much like the way Mrs. Yong Soo was, the boy drawing his confidence and comfort from her. Emil had a brotherly hand on Kiku's shoulder though he was silent and graven.

"Please, I just don't want to see Kiku hurt! I read that article…and while it's all very true…I don't want to see him hurt. He's so young Mr. Davis, and he's still so vulnerable. He's been through more than any of us can imagine and I won't stand for him to be hurt anymore," Kiku's foster mother said firmly, her voice firm but her eyes glittering emotionally.

"Please, I assure you, we have a very tolerant student body. We will enforce stricter discipline not just for Kiku's sake but for the benefit of all students. We can't play favorites, but we will assure that we will make this school a safe place for him to learn. But I'm afraid we're simply not sure what we should do for Kiku's sake; it's too soon to tell. Perhaps if you allow Kiku to proceed through the day and then we can perhaps gauge how he feels and make changes as necessary," Mr. Smith said calmly, removing his chin from his entwined fingers and moving to straighten out some papers on his desk.

"Please concern yourselves too much. Your boy is very popular among much of the…female student body. I'm sure they'll see to his safety and even protect his reputation. Isn't that right, Silver Prince, Raven Prince?" the principal smiled lightly, causing both small-framed boys to blush at their esteemed titles. Maria giggled slightly and intertwined her fingers through Kiku's, both holding together warmly.

Both of Kiku's parents seemed shocked by Kiku's nickname at first, but his mother's warm laughter cut through the tension. His father chuckled to himself.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised. I hope you two boys take care of yourselves, you hear? Be nice to those girls, understand, boys?" The boys in question nodded, seeming to relax at the lessening of the tension. Maria put her arms around their shoulders, smiling brightly.

"Don't worry; I'll make sure my brother Emil and my good friend Kiku stay that way. Kiku's a good person, but my brother's a pain in the neck." Maria wrinkled her nose, earning a quirked brow from her amused brother.

"Oh, are you and my son…dating, by any chance?" Mrs. Yong Soo inquired politely, regaining her elegant composure from before. Maria started slightly, but Kiku answered before she could.

Kiku circled an arm around her shoulders, their heads bumping together slightly. "Yeah, mom, sorry I didn't tell you before. We kind of just starting getting into it recently, so we're still pretty new, I guess." His mother seemed to melt at the cuteness of her son, at his large, honest eyes and innocent smile. She also seemed charmed by Maria, the girl who seemed to be so open and kind, not to mention rather pretty.

"Well, I don't see any problems. What do you think, honey?" She turned to her husband, the crisis of just a few minutes ago seemingly dissipated.

"You seem to be a fine young woman, and your brother looks like a trustworthy young fellow. Now, if we could only get Kiku's older brother, Im Yong Soo, to emulate him…" The older man thought rather contemplatively, a smile then alighting upon his normally stern features.

Mr. Smith in the background was looking rather contented by this, even to the point of relaxing into his overstuffed leather chair. He grinned pleasantly at the sight of the equally relaxed people before him, all seeming refreshed.

"Um, we should probably get to class now…" Emil pointed out, noticing that fifteen minutes had passed since the bell had rung.

"It's no problem," Mr. Smith dismissed, scribbling something on a scrap of paper and handing it to Emil who was now standing. Maria stood with Kiku, the young lovers holding hands. "Give this to Mrs. Zedrick and she'll write you all hall passes so you won't be late. Oh, and Kiku, please accept my apology on behalf of the school; nothing like it will ever happen again. If something comes up, don't hesitate to see me personally." Kiku nodded in affirmation, turning to leave with Emil and Maria, saying good-bye to his parents who seemed ready to rush out at any time to return to work. They were the epitome of hardworking workaholics.

"Do you guys have classes near mine? I'm in English on the second floor," Kiku said. Emil looked thoughtful for a moment.

"That's where the math halls are, right? We both have honors algebra two so we'll be heading in the same direction." Maria smiled, resting her head on Kiku's shoulder even as they walked.

"Oh, I'm in honors algebra two too. Maybe we can work on the homework afterwards?" Kiku asked, circling his arm around Maria's neck.

"That's the plan, like we normally do, right?" Maria said brightly, smiling. "We'll be going to your house, right, Kiku?"

"Yeah, I already asked my mom so she's okay with it."

"Alright, it's a plan," Maria finished, the three friends walking off together.

* * *

Lunch time had finally come. After suffering through English, orchestra, and his math class, Kiku was anxious to see Yao. He'd already agreed with Maria and Emil that he'd see Yao, both well aware of his loner status. Even though they encouraged Kiku to bring Yao to have lunch with them, it seemed that would be near to impossible.

Kiku did the ninja routine from last time, fully aware whenever there was someone else present and doing his best to creep around stealthily, which wasn't hard for someone as dainty as him.

The dumpsters loomed ahead mountains to a wayward pioneer, signaling refuge for the worried boy. He was certain to make himself quiet, instantly taken aback to only the second day of school when he'd visited Yao and the junior had playfully advanced upon him. Although he was sure that was the reason, he was too dense to think around the older boy's motives.

Plumes of smoke rose into the air only to be swept away by warm breezes from above and around. Kiku found Yao, as usual, a few soda cans at his side this time. It seemed he'd gone out to a fast food joint and had stuffed down a ton of food, the remnants of said food crumpled in a bag tossed in the corner shared with spent cigarettes. Yao was switching between inhaling the cigarette he was smoking and a soda.

"Yao?" Kiku tentatively revealed himself, lowering himself to the ground like he was before an easily provoked predator. Yao regarded him with enigmatic brown eyes, exhaling tobacco smoke through flared nostrils. Kiku gulped, his imagination running away with images of Yao dressed like a mafia boss. He shoved the image aside, it ruining the moment completely.

Yao just looked away to take a last sip of his soda before tossing it with clattering dissonance into the corner. He popped the tab of another, taking a long drink from it. Kiku gulped drily but nonetheless lowered himself besides Yao, respectfully keeping his distance and his gaze lowered. He still couldn't shake the feeling that Yao was mad at him.

But, the older boy had no right to be, right? Here he was all morning unable to get through classes without being treated like the Hope Diamond; too valuable to handle and too alienating to react to normally. Classmates either left him alone or he was the craze of the grapevine. It was mainly the girls who seemed to be sympathetic, many being well-wishers and even going so far as to send him touching notes. Although not everyone was like that, the way people acted like he was a walking funeral depressed him.

Maria had hugged him the halls whenever she saw him, which gladdened Kiku greatly. Emil even gave him a mini pep talk before the parted ways earlier in the morning.

Still, Yao shouldn't be mad at him. Maybe he was too dense for his own good, but it was just something that he couldn't help. It made his mind hurt trying to wrack it with reasons that Yao was suddenly so distant, but he still couldn't think of anything.

A hand suddenly wrapped around his waist, causing Kiku to flinch at the unexpected contact. He found himself being pulled close to Yao's side, the older boy still taking in dregs from a new cigarette. Kiku gulped again, reluctantly resting his head on Yao's shoulder. Yao seemed to relax greatly when he did that, assurance that Kiku wasn't going to leave right away. His hand never left Kiku's side.

"Um, have you been okay these last few weeks, Yao? I'm sorry for not talking but I've—" The hand at his waist immediately flew to his mouth, preventing him from speaking.

"Kiku, shut up! The last thing I give a shit about is some imaginary grudge you think I have against you! I don't give a shit about that. What I want to know is how you're holding up. Come on, please tell me…" Yao urged, the hand loosening to his shoulder.

Kiku was silent for what seemed to be an interminable stretch of time. He felt the prick of tears at his eyes, the wet, salty burn set to stream down his cheeks. Kiku lowered his head, trying to hide in shame at how easily he'd been ready to shed tears all day.

"It just brings up so many terrible memories… The pictures drag me back into a vivid memory I don't want to return to; the words are the threats that were spoken to haunt me in my nightmares… Yao, it just won't stop! I'm doing more damage to myself by just _thinking _about it! No one here can do more than what I'm inflicting on myself…" Kiku cried, leaning into Yao's shoulder. He tried to restrain the tears, but he had no luck, deciding to just release what he'd been hiding within himself all day.

Yao whirled himself around and embraced Kiku tightly, ready to support his breaking form. The cigarette and soda were dropped in unison, the liquid left to sweep away the ashes. Kiku hiccupped and sobbed even harder, clinging to Yao like he had that morning. He held the younger boy tighter to him.

"Kiku, I know what we'll do." He stroked Kiku's back reassuringly. Kiku meekly separated himself from Yao slightly, just enough for the junior to know the he was listening.

"We're going to get our revenge against Ivan. He destroyed us, Kiku, and it's only polite to return the favor." Yao possessively rested his head on the crown of Kiku's, holding him even tighter to him.

"Yao, we can't—"

"We can, Kiku! Look at what he's done to you…to me… If we don't show him the consequences of his actions, imagine what he'll do to us, what he'd do to other people. He wants to clear a pathway to the top, but we could stop him."

"Yao…"

"Kiku, think of those pictures. Think of the article. Think of you."

* * *

Last thoughts: Wow, three chappies in three days. Just to tell you guys, I'm kind of in a "T"-rating writing mood so I might not be returning to my "M"-rated fics for a little bit. That might be a bit squicky with you guys, but I just can't neglect my other fics. Speaking of which, did you know that FR: BS will be a year old on the sixth? I feel kind of bad for not finishing it a long time ago, but it's too late for remorse. I'll try to release a chappie on that day, okay?

Okie, okie, the story thus far. This will definitely end of being fairly angsty and dark; not fluffy and rainbow-y. So, yeah, the next piece will be Yao's obsession for revenge against Ivan. How it will play out is still undecided since I'm an impulse writer, but if you have an idea, suggestions are loved! It's really evident how obsessed Yao is for Kiku, isn't it? When you're a loner for that long lover hits you pretty hard, doesn't it? Well, anywho, I think Yao and Kiku have fallen away from my modern-day-kid mold. Now they're two boys from the world of BL (kinda?). They don't act like normal boys do and I've basically turned this into an uber-dramatic BL with angst and more angst. Well, this is fanfiction, so sue me.

Also, even though I've been on an update rampage lately, I'm a highly unpredictable person when it comes to updates. So, don't get your hopes up that I'll be updating every day. But I refuse to neglect this story any longer, so please keep reading~ Updates will definitely be more frequent, promise!

But for those of you who are enjoying this story, please keep reading my dear little lufflies~

As always, review, review, review!


	8. An Ampere of Amour

_There was no way of denying it._

_It's only been about two months…_

…_but already this kid had taken my heart._

_With my birthday fast approaching…_

…_it was getting harder and harder to keep my emotions inside._

_

* * *

_

October 29th was a momentous occasion, an anniversary of China's break into the world as a self-assured, shaky, Communist nation. For another boy on the other side of the globe, it was a day of uncertainty, usually like any other except that another year had passed by with unfulfilled dreams left to rot with New Year's resolutions.

Kiku had grown maddeningly distant from Yao, driving the to-be seventeen boy to the brink of insanity. Lunch had been replaced with therapy sessions with the school conselor. A few days after the newspaper became published, the news poured into every social circle of Roam and beyond, lifting the veil of secrecy away from Kiku for the whole world to be beholden to. After several panic attacks and numerous skipped classes, Kiku had been brought in and forced to vent. It tore Yao apart that Kiku was suffering and he could do nothing; being fettered by his job and homework made it impossible for him to focus properly on Kiku, what with myriad exams soon coming to bear upon him.

The Raven Prince had only excelled in social standings despite his deepening depression. Yao had overheard more than once Kiku breaking down in a class, running out with several sympathsizers on his heels. Guilt had rendered Yao into a desperate fool who could do nothing for the one he was falling hopelessly for.

"My friend, love is but trial and trubulations." Smoke exhaled became subject to gestures that swirled and morphed it so elegantly. "Mm, but I am glad that your heart is beginning to thaw." Wavy blonde hair was tucked partially behind an ear.

Yao gazed dejectedly at the ground, then at Francis. "What should I do? I can't do anything for Kiku. It's driving me insane!" Francis thoughtfully exhaled, ideas drifting through his mind like the cigarette smoke floating around them.

Yao did the same, then swinging back a good deal of soda. Francis lightly tapped the cigarette to dislodge the burnt ashes.

The senior suddenly became cheerless, eyes darkening like ashes. "Kiku has become too unstable, Yao. I'm in his gym period, along with his airheaded girlfriend and her handsome brother. I can't help but think that he may become suicidal. He's too young, too tender to be thinking such thoughts."

Yao's cigarette slipped from his lips to fumigate dejectly on the heated concrete. "Kiku's…?" he mumbled, a hand running though his hair.

Absently, he rose from his seat and left Francis behind the dumpsters, a tumult of emotions raging like an African storm through his mind. He raced through the back entrance, heedless of people who could try to stop him, dazedly navigating his way through the winding halls. A mental map in his mind plotted a course for the guidance offices where he knew Kiku was.

It wasn't long before he arrived. He quietly concentrated on the sounds of the faintly drifting voices, catching snatches of seemingly innumerable conversations. He perked to the sound of a feeble boy's voice sounding from the door farthest from him. He took out his cell phone and texted a hasty message to Kiku's. He didn't have to wait long.

The door was hastily opened and slammed shut and a small figure barreled into Yao. Yao caught the tiny form in his arms, holding him so tightly thay asphxyation would not have been impossible. Kiku clung to Yao's neck for dear life, the boy having grown a few inches since he'd last been around the boy, but he was still considerably shorter. Yao held him tightly by his head and waist, simply enjoying their closeness, their hearts beating as one for a moment. Kiku didn't seem to want to let go anymore than Yao did.

He finally separated from Kiku, the boy sighing and resting his forehead against Yao's chest. Yao used a hand to keep it there, not wanting to reveal his feelings too much.

"We're going to get out of here, Kiku. Come on," Yao whispered, circling an arm around Kiku's shoulders before releasing him. To his exhuberance, Kiku followed him without question, docile and trusting as a lamb to their shepherd.

Kiku said nothing as they left the school, his mind lost among the clouds, completely dependent on Yao for guidance. He could've sworn hearing Francis shouting something at him, but he just ignored whatever he'd heard. To any teachers they were just a sophomore and junior heading out to lunch so it wouldn't be considered suspicious in any way.

Beneath the high, dappled umbrage of the trees the two came to Yao's car. As soon as it was unlocked Kiku let himself in, much to Yao's pleasant surprise. Yao made way to the driver's side where he lowered himself in, both slamming the car doors closed in unison.

"Um, Yao, so where are we going? I'm glad that I'm with you, but I was just wondering…" Kiku was glad to be with him? More than that bitch, Maria? That alone made Yao smirk in triumph.

"We're going to spend the rest of the day at the old arcade and strip mall complex, Kiku. You've been there before, right?" Yao veered out of the parking lot and into the busy streets. Luckily that shopping complex, one of the oldest in the state, was just the sort of place Yao wouldn't mind being caught in. It was old that it didn't rub him the wrong way the way the ultra hip and contemperary mall did. The people there were more mellowed and wise, people Yao could relax among without feeling that he was making a spectacle og himself. It was where all of the geeks, nerds, and social outcasts for any reason went to hang. It was a favorite haunt of Yao's whenever he had the chance to go.

Yao parked out back behind the somewhat small complex, rounding the buildings with Kiku. When they came to the store fronts, Yao instantly felt at home. There was an old street overhanged by trees that split the place in two, cars parked on either side in parking spaces. Another reason Yao loved this place was the fact that it was ignored by the law; for example, the parking meters had broken down long ago and were left to rust, giving an aged feel to the place. Myriad storefronts with architecture of a retro age sat in dejected yet contented abandon on both sides of the streets, the highlight being a looming marquee that was once an old theater but had been converted into an arcade in the 70's, since being a favorite haunt for Yao. From what he knew, the arcade Kiku had frequented was the one in the mall that was filled with cutting edge games. The ones in Rouge, the name of the joint, were old, dusty, and dated; it only served to enhance the nostalgic feel Yao had become acquated to over the years.

Yao led Kiku to into the street's only food joint, a fast-food place known literally as That Fast-Food Joint. Inside it was small, able to accommodate only a few booths and regular tables, the counter made from cheap vinyl and the menus plastered with retro fonts on the headboard above. People of a shadier aspect occupied the place, from street ruffians to high school drop-outs. It was dark and musty, but Yao still loved it.

"Hey, if it ain't Jackie Chan!" a voice rasped loudly. From the counter a wizened pair of piercing brown eyes struck Kiku, making the boy flinch. He saw as an old African-American man, face thick with gray stubble, came from behind the counter to slap Yao affectionately on the back.

He appraised Kiku, mouth rising into a startlingly pearly grin. "Well, if it isn't Lady Murasaki! Where's Genji, Murasaki?" the older man boomed, intimidating Kiku.

Kiku played along, encouraged by a reassuring smile from Yao. "Well, you know, he's out finding other women." Kiku remembered that he'd read _The Tale of Genji _back in elementary school.

The old man slapped his knee, laughing. "Alright you rascals, lemme get you something to eat. It's not on the house, but it is on Yao!" he burst, chuckling through building tears from his own amusement.

As the man shuffled back behind the counter, Yao went to Kiku and encouraged him to the counter to order some food.

"So, son, what'll it be?" the man said with a cheery gleam to his eyes. Kiku instantly liked the old man.

"Well, Jack, why don't you recommend something?" Yao asked, gazing sidelong at Kiku who was intensely studying the menus.

"Not sure what the boy wants, but for you I think you should try the double decker. It ain't the shit you find in other places. I make it the way it looks in the fancy McDonald's commercials," Jack boasted, wringing a cloth between his fingers.

Yao smiled at that. "Okay, I'll have a large coke and fries to go with it. You know, the usual."

"What about you, Murasaki?" Kiku started at his new nickname.

"Um, I'm not hungry. I'll just have some water," Kiku stammered nervously. Yao looked concerned, noticing that Kiku had gotten thinner since the last time he'd seen him. He was pale, but his sickly beauty made one want to protect him even more.

Jack was silent for a moment. "You sure, boy? You look like you'd fly away with the next draft," he said, the fatherly concern evident in his voice. Kiku avoided the man's penetrating gaze and shook his head.

Jack raised his hands up in defeat and went back into the kitchen to fill their orders.

Kiku made way to a booth and sank into it, hanging his head. Yao sat parallel to Kiku, getting a better assessment of the frail boy.

The freshman was still beautiful, but now it was of a startling kind. It was like his body was pleading for someone to care for him by making him more vulnerable looking, such as those being eyes larger than ever. Just looking at him did awaken a primordial protectiveness, an adaptation early humans must have utilized to help select and father offspring, for a beautiful and vulnerable mate was vastly more appealing; at least, that's what he'd been taught. He wanted to spirit Kiku away and jealously guard him for the boy seemed so small and defenseless.

It was only minutes before their food came, which was generously lowered before Yao by Jack. Seeing that they were the only three souls in the place probably explained that.

"Alright boys, I'mma go out back for my lunch break. Just find me if you need anything," Jack said finally before leaving Yao and Kiku completely alone.

The ceiling fans around them rotated in creaky succession of each other, sunlight meekly shining through the dusty storefront windows. Yao was unnerved by the silence, Kiku sitting tiredly with an omnipresent gloom hung around him.

"Do you mind if I sleep for a bit, Yao? I'm just so exhausted…" Kiku sighed, curling up into a ball against the wall, breathing softly. Yao was enraptured for a moment before his rumbing stomach reminded him of why they were there.

Kiku slept soundly as Yao devoured his way through the large burger, shocked by how ravenous he'd become. He finished that quickly and moved on to the soda and fries, something urging him to eat quickly. He wanted to talk with Kiku, not watch him sleep, however adorable he was.

He chugged the soda quickly, suppressing burps into his hand. The fries soon disappeared.

Yao sighed loudly, leaning back, his stomach squishy and absolutely stuffed, somewhat pudgy. He sat quietly for a few moments before silently creeping over to Kiku, pulling the boy to his side, the freshman not even waking but comfortably settling against Yao, the older boy holding him close with one arm. Amusedly, he felt like a rich pimp with a sweet catch at his side. He chuckled to himself, then suddenly finding himself squeezed around his waist by Kiku like he was some kind of pillow.

"Soft…" Kiku murmured, cuddling even closer to Yao, his cheek pressed to Yao's chest. Yao couldn't help but blush and smile happily, smitten by how cute Kiku was being. He wouldn't mind it if the younger boy was like this more often; in fact, he'd love it, provided they were alone by this. It took every ounce of willpower not to embrace Kiku tightly. Instead, he just settled with keeping his arm around Kiku.

"Mmn." Kiku wrenched his eyes open and flinched at the compromising situation they were in, startled badly by it.

"I'm s-sorry Yao! I-I had no idea that I—" He tried pulling away only to be kept by a vice to Yao's side, his face consumed by a blush, much to Yao's pleasure.

"Kiku, it's okay. I don't mind at all," Yao said quietly, cheeks dusted a slight pink. A hand gently stroked the side of Kiku's face, the boy's eyes searching Yao's for something.

"I'm sorry, Yao, I've just been so…lonely these past few months, I…" Kiku was trembling, his skin heating and shaking uncontrollably, his hands clammy.

Daringly, he did what he'd been wanting to do for awhile.

He circled his arms around Yao's neck and pressed his lips faintly against Yao's, everything quaking and shivering.

"Kiku—" Yao became suddenly very dizzy, wondering with frenzy if he was dreaming. Kiku destroyed that notion by kissing him again, this time the press of his lips was a little fuller.

"I'm sorry, Yao, I'm so sorry…" Kiku said, voice strangled by emotion. He gulped, fear extremely evident in his eyes. He was betraying Maria, possibly destroying a friendship with the only person who understood him as much as Yao did; and yet, it all seemed worth it. His world had been destroyed once; why not do it again? He could always try to rebuild it.

He moved away, lowering his head and quaking, shivering as if they were somewhere bitterly cold. "You've become the person…closest to me, I couldn't help it, I…" Kiku stammered, nervousness constraining what he wanted to say, fear overriding rationality. His breathing was ragged and coming out in huffs.

In the dim of the restaurant, Kiku couldn't see Yao's face, so he cowered into the corner of the booth, eyes transfixed like a rabbit to a snake's, he paralyzed by the fear of his action's consequences. He turned away, curling into the corner, wishing a hole would swallow him up.

He felt someone advance upon him, the tender feeling of lips to his cheeks, then encouraging access to reach his neck. Yao advanced upon Kiku, the boy reluctantly letting Yao take him.

"Yao," he breathed, circling his arms around Yao's neck as the older boy proceeded to top him, "what if Jack returns?"

Yao sighed happily before kissing Kiku fully on the lips, wanting to experience him fully before the dream slipped through his fingers. Kiku let himself relax, letting Yao take an arm to kiss his hand sexily, licking some of his fingers. Kiku moaned, exciting Yao.

"He usually takes an hour or more for his lunch breaks. We'll be fine, Kiku…" Yao lowered himself upon Kiku, the boy shivering in an unknown delight. Kiku's head was fully against the seat of the booth, Yao tenderly gazing down upon him. How boastful he felt inside, a pride welling up at how such a person was now his own, in a way, giving his heart away so earnestly.

Yao felt up Kiku's shirt, skin shivering away and then melting into his touch. He kissed Kiku's eyelids, his nose, smothering the boy's lips to his. A hand bound Kiku's in a vice, an unnecessary but exciting precaution.

He pulled Kiku up until they reversed positions, the younger boy now on top of him. Kiku kissed him gladly, letting Yao's fingers roam freely on his body.

"Yao…" Kiku breathed, straining his rise for a moment to see if anyone else was present. Yao pulled him down nonetheless, letting Kiku have his way with his neck.

"Let's stop," Kiku said finally, pulling himself free and sitting atop the table, nearly strewing Yao's spent meal to the ground. Yao was pulled up by Kiku, the younger boy readjusting his clothes back to normal.

Yao sat next to Kiku, trying oh-so-hard to keep his hands to himself. Everything seemed like a grainy dream that he wanted to capture so badly, a memory never to be forgotten.

They were silent for a moment, both catching their breaths.

"Hey, Kiku, how long have you liked me?" Yao asked, circling an arm around Kiku's backside, tugging them closer together. Kiku leaned his head on Yao's shoulder, sighing.

"I don't know. I think…since we first met. You kissed me, remember?" Kiku said, punctuating it with one of his own to Yao's cheek.

"Yeah, I guess I did," Yao replied, trying to smother to sweltering lust building inside. He didn't want to stop.

"Kiku, what are you going to do about Maria?" Yao asked, hand sneaking its way up Kiku's side, causing the younger to squeak indignantly and slap his hand away.

"Um…I don't know. It's Friday, Yao, I don't want to think about that now. Please, let's save it for Monday."

Yao kissed the crown of his head. "Alright. Whatever you say, Raven Prince."

Soon, they couldn't hold back. They resumed their make-out session, not without a very vocal Kiku. It lasted for another few minutes before Kiku slammed the brakes again.

"Can I sleep over your house, Yao?" he asked, using his hands to keep Yao at bay. Yao was a little ruffled by the random interruption, but considered it.

"Of course. My dad and Wanwan will be visiting family in the next town so I'll have the apartment to myself until tomorrow evening. I have free rein until then." He tried kissing Kiku multiple times again, then deterred by Kiku's turned face.

"My parents will be on a business trip until Sunday, and they're leaving after school. My mom said I can sleep over someone's house if I wanted, so I'm okay." Kiku struggled to keep Yao at bay, which caused the older boy to devilishly nip his ear. How they carried such a civil dialogue under such conditions was a wonder to Kiku.

Kiku leapt off of the table, taking Yao's tray and clearing the disposable contents in a trashcan. Yao was soon to follow, kissing his cheek in thanks. Kiku swatted him away, giggling.

Yao seized Kiku around the waist and pulled him towards the back exit where the parking lot was. They had to separate so Jack wouldn't see, the old man wishing them well as they headed towards Yao's car.

Kiku hoped Yao would be able to get them to his apartment in one piece.

* * *

Last thoughts: *epic derp face* CX So, what do you think? Yao and Kiku are finally together! *yays* Ah, ah, but the story doesn't end here! They still have a little less than two years to round off the ultimate plot which shall be revealed in…THE NEXT CHAPTER. O8 It's nawt over yet!

Okay, so a little more real-life-isms for ya'll. My spell-check on my word processor seems to have crashed or is corrupted for something, so if there are glaring grammer/spelling errors, please mention it in your review! I'd really appreciate it if you did~

I really like old places like where Kiku and Yao were for this chappie. If you want to get a good visualization for what it's like, imagine some backstreets of a city or the arcade from Tron: Legacy. I love nosatalgic places; they feel very cozy. And, as you can see, this is no longer true to life and is now just an AU BL story. Well, I don't give a flying f**k! I like stories like this. However, in order to keep it "T," there won't be too many sexyteims to the point of smex. Besides, lil' Kiku's too young. Sorry~ I hope you like the story so far. It's definitely one of my better ones.

Oh, and I'm sure you're all well-aware of the catastrophy that's struck Japan. Everyone, please do what you can! Pray, donate, raise awareness—whatever. I'm going to start a collection at my school if any of the clubs there aren't. I really hope that everyone affected gets the help they need!

Thank you so much for reading!

~Peace, G


	9. A Watt of Winsome

_I remember constantly of how people would tell me to follow my dreams, to stand out._

_Growing up, those words began to lose their meaning pretty fast._

_People only destroyed you if you stood out…_

…_and they told you why you couldn't follow your dreams._

_

* * *

_

For the rest of the time they'd spent at Nostalgic Alley (as Yao had come to christen it), they'd been at the arcade, having multitudes of old arcade games to themselves, save for a few employees who flitted in and out interminably. In the darkness, neon haze of old signs and the glimmer of video game screens providing their only light, they had been almost completely alone. Midway through the day, Yao had bought an ice cream cone that they'd shared. It seemed impossible to Kiku for anyone to eat anymore after what Yao had scarfed down, but Yao had proven him wrong. When Kiku had asked for Yao's secret, the older boy only gave him a long, tender kiss, flavored like the chocolate and vanilla swirl both had partaken in.

Sitting in the confines of a sheltered first person shooter, Kiku had sat between Yao's legs, the two of them speaking of nonsensical things.

Kiku poked Yao's belly, earning a quirked brow from the older boy. "Wow, you're really squishy, Yao. You might want to excersize it off, you know." He played with Yao's ponytail as well, curling it around in his fingers.

Yao leaned back and held Kiku to his chest, hands on his long, narrow back. Kiku cuddled closely to him like a kitten, listening peacefully to the sound of Yao's heartbeat and the myriad noises emanating from the many arcade games. Kiku seemed already taken into the level of passion that Yao was capable of, although he was too young to know what to do.

"We're like a lovesick couple," Kiku said through their quiet, companionable silence. He raised his lips to Yao's neck, encouraging the older boy to tilt his head up. His curled and his body tensed rigidly until Kiku stopped, in which he could finally relax. A pleasurable heat soared through his body and receded, but it sent Yao into rapture.

"When you've been lonely for so long, you can't help it."

A few hours later, both boys were in Yao's car, heading through backstreets to reach their destination. They'd been silent during the duration of the time in the car, Yao's buggy radio crackling out a rice krispie opera that was more amusing than serenading.

"Yao, I've got a copy of that article." Yao flicked his eyes towards Kiku, then back to the road, trying to convey his interest towards Kiku. Kiku curled his legs into his chest, arms holding them close.

"It really hurt to look at, but Yao… There's something we need to do. There's something both of us need to do."

Yao looked at Kiku as he gently braked to a stop at a red light. A free hand gently clasped around Kiku's, the younger boy curling his fingers around Yao's.

"We both need to set the record straight with Ivan. Yao, you need to find the truth about your family. As for me, I need to find my father as well as put those bastards who kidnapped me and all of those kids three years ago. They're still at large, Yao, and they're probably finding new kids to sell into slavery everyday," Kiku said with bitter determination. He lowered his head to his knees, a flood of memories cascading into his mind, he unable to mentally block them.

"Kiku, have you ever thought of the possibility that the yakuza might have been the ones who captured you? I remember reading up on an article that spoke of how the Japanese mafia was involved with human trafficking, among other things," Yao surmised, releasing his hand from Kiku's to focus on driving.

"Yeah, the men who kidnapped me looked like they were in the mafia. They were all dressed in black and looked really dangerous." Kiku gazed out the window as many landmarks rushed past them, watching cars traveling aimlessly beside them. It made Kiku feel depressed for some reason, like his life was a car headed in no particular direction.

"Kiku, how do you feel?" Kiku flicked his eyes to the older boy, gazing at Yao.

He lowered them again, sighing sadly, feeling empty and hollow. "If you weren't here, I'd feel awful, Yao. Just what's happened…no one treats me normally. Everyone's afraid of hurting my feelings, or they just avoid me because they don't want to deal with me. Even Maria's been putting me off an awful lot lately."

"Can you tell me why, Kiku?" He banked sharply, pulling into the parking lot of the apartment complex. The buildings looked run down and tired to Kiku, standing morosely before the urban sprawl of Roam, bricks chipped and windows cracked in many places. It didn't look like an inviting place to live.

They came to rows of garages, Yao pulling into one of them. The car shuddered as Yao removed the keys from the ignition, Kiku meekly exiting the car that rattled like shackles as he slammed the door closed.

"Home sweet home," Yao smiled wryly, showing Kiku inside. They walked to the end of a narrow and dimly lit hall, coming to an elevator that both boarded.

Kiku stood quietly, hands clasped together. Yao gave him an inquiring glance, hoping he'd answer the question from earlier.

Kiku opened his mouth to speak only to be cut off by the "ding" of the elevator, announcing their stop. The freshman scurried off, trying to avoid the question. Yao followed him until they reached the door at the end of the hall. The junior opened the door with keys fished from his pocket, Kiku invited inside.

The living room was much cozier than Kiku had originally imagined. The walls were lined with heavy bookcases of the like that belonged in a stately study, all emburdened with tomes of books both leather-bound and fairly new. A few couches were pressed in a tight circle like a campfire, all pushed forward by the bookcases. Huddled to the wall was an old, heavy wooden television that looked old, but the screen looked to be about from the 90's, so it obviously wasn't a plasma screen. In a recessed corner was a table just large enough to accommodate four people and the table itself. Sprawled on the surface were stacks of paperwork and textbooks that obviously belonged to Yao and his sister, there being barely any space to actually call it a table.

Kiku wandered down the single hallway, coming upon a narrow galley tightly squeezed with every appliance necessary, all of which were rather old and worn. Further travels led him to three sets of doors that led into bedrooms, as well as one off to the side that was the home's only bathroom. Yao gently moved Kiku aside to enter his room, Kiku following suit.

Inside was a single bed, bare walls, a basic dresser and a closet in a corner. It was small, like a horse's stall, but Kiku actually liked it. The design scheme was rather proletarian with white walls and a biege floor, posters of bands and other role models plastered to the walls. The floor was hidden beneath layers of spent clothing and other articles. A small desk in a corner had an old laptop sitting idly upon it beneath mounds of paper, drawers spewing even more paper. The bed had threadbare sheets and a musty comforter resting upon it like a cyclone had torn through the room. Yao wrenched open the room's only window, receiving an impersonal view of a smoggy horizon and the dull boxes that made up Roam's suburbia. It made Kiku long somewhat for his own bedroom and its spectacular views of forest and sea alike.

"Well, this is it, Kiku. I'll get you something to eat since you didn't have lunch." He grinned, adding, "And sharing ice cream doesn't count."

"Go ahead and wait in the living room, alright? I'll whip up something decent," Yao said, shooing Kiku from the kitchen and into the adjoining living room. Kiku complied without complaint, sitting deeply into a fluffy couch and curling into it, pulling a fluffy blanket around him. He wrinkled his nose at its stench of cigarettes, remembering how Yao had mentioned some time ago that his foster father was a heavy smoker himself.

Despite the smell, Kiku cuddled into it and wrapped a cocoon around himself, feeling warm and safe. Before long, he fell asleep again.

It must have been at least an hour, for when Kiku awoke, he was roused by the sound of clattering dishes and clinking silverware. He peeked through the blanket to see Yao shoving aside school work, making space for the two of them to sit closely by.

"Hey, Kiku, time for dinner," Yao announced, kneeling besides the low couch and pulling away some of the blanket to reveal Kiku curled up like a baby within. Smiling tenderly, eyes softening affectionately, he gently kissed Kiku's cheek which awoke him right away.

"Sorry. I'm coming," Kiku replied, stretching like a cat. Yao made way to the table, Kiku sleeply bringing up the rear. He sank into his chair, amazed at the colorful dish before him. It was rice dyed by wonderful smelling sauses and spices, invigorating to the senses. Complimentary vegetables were diced to the smallest perfection possible, peppering it with splashes of color. There was the tang of other unrecognizable scents, all of which were delightful to behold.

"Did you really make this?" Kiku questioned, beaming up at Yao, proud of Yao's accomplishment.

"Yeah. Even though Wanwan takes care of cleaning and stuff, the cooking's up to me. My father and sister couldn't cook to save their lives," Yao chuckled, resting his jaw on his hand. He contentedly watched Kiku become enraptured by the taste, he eating it without stopping. He was sure to give Kiku a smaller portion, which he was making quick work of. Yao joined and soon they were both done.

"That was awesome, Yao! Seriously, if you can cook like this, why do you even bother buying fast food? The taste was amazing," Kiku gushed, eyes lit up with excitement.

Yao had his arms propped behind his head on the high-backed chair, smiling contentedly. He was glad that Kiku had finished everything that was on his plate; that was the highest compliment possible for any chef.

"Oh, Kiku, why don't you change out of those clothes? I set something out on my bed for you that you can try." Kiku nodded, remembering to bring his dish into the kitchen. He was shocked to find it as a chaotic storm of colors and scents, ingredients strewn everywhere and culinary utensils out of their drawers. He timidly set it on a relatively cleaner part of the counter and fled into Yao's room.

Sure enough, clothes had been neatly folded on Yao's bed: a pair of sweats and a dark colored t-shirt. Quickly he changed into them, neatly folding his school uniform, stuffing it into his backpack.

He exited Yao's room to find the older boy hard at work cleaning up everything, putting more than enough elbow grease into his work. Kiku invited himself in, swiping spent ingredients into his hand with a sponge. Yao said nothing but enjoyed their comraderie. It wasn't long until they were finished, the kitchen as spick and span as it had been before. Kiku huffed, wiping a hand across his face, unaware as to how heated working had made him.

Hands embraced him from behind tightly, squeezing him like he was a child's teddy bear. His shoulders hunched upwards, turning on his effeminate charm. The collar was rather loose and he was able to manipulate it with his teeth, tugging it past Kiku's shoulder. He kissed and nipped the exposed skin, delighting in Kiku's warm and hot breaths as the boy, in turn, kissed Yao's cheek and face wherever he could.

"You don't mind wearing my sister's sweats, do you?" Yao asked casually, hand creeping up his shirt and onto warm and soft skin. The other held Kiku to him, denying the younger escape. "Nothing of mine would fit you, and she's only a little wider than you."

"Are you saying that only girl's clothing fits me?" Kiku squeaked indignantly, almost slapping Yao in the head with a whiplash of hair. Yao merely chortled to himself, those hands ghosting past sensitive areas on Kiku's skin, feeling the younger boy's skin twitch and shiver as his fingers brushed past.

He led Kiku to the couch, seeing as both boys were finished cleaning up. Kidding aside, the atmosphere suddenly became laden with a heavy tension. Both boys sank into the couch Kiku had been occupying, pulling the blanket around them. Kiku snuggled closely to Yao, the other boy wrapping his arms around him.

Kiku lifted from the folds of his shirt the newspaper article, tossing it on the coffee table before them, glaring at the emboldened black print that returned that glare rather gleefully. Those words contained every ounce of Ivan's ill intent and bent towards sabotaging those in his way.

"What I want to know is why Ivan set this against me; it doesn't make sense. He's popular and has swarms of girls at his beck and call. There can't really be competition since most of our 'fans' are fickle and flighty, anyways. It just doesn't make sense," Kiku said, raising the blanket past his lips, leaning in closer towards Yao.

Yao just stared at the abomination before him, glaring down each and every word. Before high school, the Ivan Yao had known would never have done this. He would've been sweeter, the man Yao had fallen for once… But now, "Ivan" was only a face and a body; "Ivan" had died and something despicable and disgusting had taken his place.

Yao retreated to contemplate within himself, mind sifting through memories and snippets of the past, like a broken film reel wildly spinning to show disconnecting images and fragments of sound.

…_My family is a proud one, Yao. We always show no mercy towards those who dishonored us, those who go against our priniples…_

"Kiku, was your family, in any way, connected to prestigious organizations or something?" Yao urged, rousing Kiku from his dull reverie.

Kiku looked thoughtful for a moment. "My mom worked as a bar hostess, so she might have gotten involved with someone… My father would be a more likely enigma, though. Why?"

Yao's gaze began steady and thoughtful, blearly slightly from concentrating too hard upon the blank television screen. He shook his head to gather his thoughts together.

"Ivan's family had connections to the Bolsheviks, having members who had direct links to Stalin and even Lenin. I'm not sure how that ties in with you, but maybe… Historically, maybe you had relatives who were involved with Russian Commies for something…" Yao craned his neck to look behind, eyes scanning the shelves before coming upon a book that could help them.

It was a red, leather-bound book, fairly large in size. Yao plucked it from the shelf and propped it on crossed legs, Kiku shifting to accommodate the monstrous book. Yao flipped methodically through it, calculatingly scanning snippets of words, phrases that caught his eye.

_The Braginski family was a noble family predating a hundred years, the lineage of men always finding themselves working as high-ranking subordinates to Tsars. Later, during the Reolution of 1917, the Braginski family turned over a new leaf and pledged allegience to the fledgling Communist party, instantly finding themselves within higher circles of power, akin to Russia's Tsarist days…_

Yao stopped.

Ivan's family had always found itself in the higher echelons of Russian governments. The modern day Braginski's were now a powerful family, still having a firm hand over Russian government, especially with the Communist ethos of frugality and bare necessity not survivnig after the fall of the Soviet government. From what Yao could surmise, perhaps Kiku's biological parents had ansestors who had "wronged" the Braginski family and had been a part of the Japanese government or some high ranking office. Maybe it lay with Mr. and Mrs. Yong Soo who were the proud owners of a multi-million dollar company… No, that wouldn't explain why Im Yong Soo hadn't been targeted; that left the Yong Soo's out of the equation.

"Someone in your family must have sparked a grudge against Ivan's. That might explain why some of them ended up in America, Kiku. Maybe some family tragedy?"

Kiku sighed. "Wouldn't that be getting a little ahead of yourself, Yao? I think that could happen, but we haven't ruled out any personal vendettas yet. I don't think we should spread ourselves that thin so soon."

"Kiku, this isn't just about the expose on you. Don't forget that your kidnapping was largely unprovoked. Now, I know that you think they kidnapped you solely for human trafficking, but think about it: what if it had been intentional, possibly devised by the Braginski's to sabotage your family by directing their focus on you? You need to look outside personal reasons; you don't know the identity of your father, so he could be someone powerful who got himself or a family member mixed up with the Braginski's. If that is the case, it would make more sense since they're targeting you, his only son."

"Yeah, I guess. But that still doesn't make it right. Whatever got me into this mess, whether it was by conspiracy or just a bad coincidence, I won't really ever know. Thank you for trying to help me, though, Yao," Kiku said gratefully, kissing Yao's cheek softly. "We'll solve our problems together, okay? I'll do what I can to help you find your birth parents."

Yao held Kiku close, trying to quell his thoughts of the situation.

If he was right, hell could break loose at any time.

* * *

Last thoughts: Another update today! This will be the last one until this weekend. I've got Graduation Tests in my state all week so I'll be busy with that, not to mention homework that will probably be assigned despite the fact that we're being tested… Hopefully I won't be dead by this weekend… *sweatdrop* I might be on hiatus for an eensy weensie bit to work on other stories that will need updating… *isn'tdauntedbythatatall*

Story-wise, Yao and Kiku are going to be going on an EPIC ADVENCHURE really soon. Once they find out more info, off they'll go to find out stuff, and stuff. I'm going to be on temperary hiatus so that my muse can think up something for me. Don't worry though; it shouldn't take long. But, as I said, my other stories need updating BADLY. Hopefully you can put up with me until then, dear readers. Hopefully there won't be a dumpload of fluff, but in the case of G's Shameless Tales and G's Outrageous Tales that will probably be true. I'm probably going to focus on Funeral Rush: Blossom Storm, get the first chappie of Funeral Rush: Before the Storms up, and work on Legend Lost. Everything else kind of rides under those stories, at least in terms of importance, not to mention the kinks I still need to fill.

Thank you so much for reading my lufflies!

~Peace, G


	10. An Inch of Advancement

_There was once a time when I liked being alone._

_I could pretend that everything bad..._

_...was just a nightmare that would eventually pass._

_That time came to an end after I fell in love with him._

* * *

"Yao?"

The boy in question shifted in bed to see Kiku in the doorway. Kiku had fallen asleep on the couch just a little while ago, so Yao had let him be. He'd worked on as much homework as he could, smoking a cigarette before bed.

"Yeah? What is it, Kiku?" Yao peered through the darkness to see Kiku, rustling through the scattered items on the floor to reach him, coming at his bedside.

"I can't sleep," Kiku said feebly, sounding utterly weak. Yao reached out to gently stroke Kiku's cheek before lifting up the blanket, scooting aside towards the wall.

Kiku gingerly crawled next to Yao, the younger boy keeping his distance until he pulled the freshman close. He wrapped his arms around Kiku, distinctly feeling the curve of his body as the laid side by side.

"What's up?" Yao queried, tenderly kissing Kiku's forehead. "You feel lonely without me?"

"That's partly it..." Kiku admitted hesitantly, "but it's mostly nightmares. I can't stop thinking of my time in South Korea, and I'm sick with worry over Maria...and breaking it to her."

Yao sighed, but pulled Kiku closer nonetheless. The boy rested his head against Yao's chest, feeling the thrall of his heart, which made him feel more secure, contained.

"You know, Kiku, I could say over and over again that's there's nothing to worry about and that you should look on the bright side. But, I know better. The only reason I'm happy right now is because of you. Before, I was lonely and miserable and self-centered. Now...it's different. Now I feel terrible that I can't ease your pain; I can't take away a memory that's still so fresh." Kiku shifted his head up, listening intently.

"But what I can do," Yao continued, "is help you through it. I think I can help you with the break-up, or at least be there as back-up and help explain. As for your memories, have you gotten professional help?"

Kiku was silent in thought for a moment. "No. It took about two months for them to move here to the states, and the summer was spent in rigorous summer school trying to relearn and learn what was necessary for high school," he smiled wryly. "I guess I had a bit of an advantage. My school and juku cramming school were really difficult and advanced, so I guess I was already ready for high school. I was already fluent in English, and had even developed an American accent by the time summer was through. A lot of my clients, when I was modeling, helped me perfect my English and the other models that I worked with sometimes taught me a bit of their own languages."

"I guess that made your experience a little easier?"

"Sometimes, but every day was an abusive hell. Sorry, but I really don't want to talk about it anymore. Tell me about you," Kiku pleaded, taking in a shaky breath.

"Alright," Yao complied softly, gently kissing Kiku who kissed back.

"Well, you already know what happened to me last year, right? I'll tell you right out, that besides from my past as a toddler and growing up without my birth parents, my life hasn't been anything like yours." Kiku was silent, listening.

"I've lived Roam all of my life, and I've never known anything outside of it. Okay, one year for orchestra, we did go to Austria to play, but that was a miracle of chance," Yao paused, resuming from the interruption of his thoughts.

"When I was a kid, life wasn't that hard. I mean, sure, there was my dad and finances to worry about, but I wasn't pining for the rich life. I was comfortable, and my dad is a generous and really understanding guy. His wife died in childbirth, and so did their kid, and it changed him. He became a smoker and a drinker, but when he adopted my sister and I, which is something I'll be forever grateful for, he stopped after he did, although he did resume when I started smoking; it was something for us to do as father and son.

"My life was really normal. I had lots of friends; middle school was easy despite my new-found teenage angst, but high school was when it really all changed, specifically sophomore year. Freshman year I began to distance myself from people because of what my dad told me about my birth parents, but sophomore year was when everything changed. Ivan, before I confessed to him, got me into smoking and drinking after I turned sixteen and I became a heavy addict. Luckily, my performance in school was enough to blanket it over, but it still didn't stop the fact that I tried drugs several times and was a heavy drinker at parties and a chain smoker."

"You always smell like cigarettes," Kiku teased, looking up at him with those adorable eyes. Yao just ruffled his hair, causing the boy to giggle.

"Yeah, anyway, everything changed sophomore year. After winter break, after everyone ditched me, I basically created a reputation for myself as the perpetually pissed off loner. Its carried over to this year as well."

Yao was thoughtful for a moment, and looked down at Kiku, who looked back up shyly.

"Kiku, this has been bugging me, but do you have any idea what your orientation is? I kinda need to know. Are you bi, bi-curious," that option stung, "or gay?"

Kiku was silent for a moment. "Bi, I guess. I mean, I remember growing up having stupid little crushes on guys and girls in my classes." Yao released a sigh of relief.

Both were quiet for what seemed to be an eternity.

Yao smiled secretively. "You're not going to be able to sleep, are you?" Kiku shook his head, somewhat downcast.

"Hey, do you wanna try experimenting a little?" Yao asked, suggestively kissing Kiku's cheek.

The boy didn't nod or verbally give his consent, but he did jerk to the side, encouraging Yao to top him, which he did. Kiku wrapped his arms around Yao's neck and began to gently kiss his lips, which Yao eagerly accepted.

"Kiku—" a kiss to the lips and neck "—how much does Maria like you? Has she confessed her love to you or anything?"

"No—ah... Um, she's only said that she really likes me. We haven't even kissed yet," Kiku replied, craning his neck as Yao made quick work of it. Yao smiled satisfyingly, kissing Kiku on the lips several times, as if to buffer Kiku's statement.

Kiku let Yao do as he pleased for only a moment before he sat up, a clear indication to stop.

"Yao, no more, please. I'm not ready," Kiku pleaded, catching his breath. "I won't be ready for awhile..."

Yao stopped, but understood. What Kiku had gone through scarred him like a ceaseless brand, and it would take a long time to heal. He couldn't just saunter into such things so easily; sexually, he was just too immature.

The junior repositioned himself to the side, letting Kiku go.

"I'm sorry, Kiku, for pushing you too far... I've just wanted you for so long that it's hard to stop..." Yao confessed, sitting up while Kiku laid back down.

Kiku simply smiled as he snuggled among the sheets, burying himself to Yao's side.

"It's okay if it's you, Yao..."

* * *

The weekend slipped by with uneventful ease, the two spending Yao's birthday in quiet simplicity. They both went to Nostalgic Alley for his birthday, even getting lunch on the house for Yao. Kiku, of course, wasn't so lucky. Rogue drew, as usual, only a small crowd of gamers, leaving Kiku and Yao to their own devices, which meant much tag-teaming and competition between the two Asians. Afterwords, Kiku bought Yao a gift and they went back to That Fast Food Joint for dinner. Luckily, Kiku had some deep pockets.

However, the true trial came on Monday.

The morning was a stark contrast to the weekend, almost as if the weather itself had anticipated an unpleasant day. The clouds were in an angry, brooding mood as they rolled in compact formations across the sky. The sun was downcast as faltering waves of clouds streaked across it before choking it out entirely.

Kiku awoke that morning with a helpless feeling of foreboding that carried over into the beginning of the school day. His parents, having returned from their business trip, drove him to school before work, as they always did, and couldn't help but feel increasingly concerned.

Torrents of rain buffeted the small luxury car as they navigated the streets of Roam, and when they reached the school, Kiku felt the overwhelm of fear hit harder than before.

"Kiku, you have an appointment with another psychiatrist Wednesday. Will you be okay until then?" Mrs. Yong Soo asked her son, who numbly nodded and almost stumbled out of the car. Kiku glanced up once, somewhat intimidated the trees looking more like heavily-burdened giants crippled before the forces of nature.

He saw Yao waiting for him at the school entrance, not having seen him since Saturday. He rushed to the older boy's side and together they walked in the somber school.

"Kiku, I don't like the feeling of things. Do you feel it, too? Everything's bristling like a live wire. I feel like something bad is gonna happen," Yao said softly. They had a half hour, as usual, prompting the boys to absently walk the school's corridors.

"Well, I think that there were supposed to be warnings of a storm. Maybe you just have a bad knee," Kiku joked, his voice decidedly humorless. Yao didn't buy it.

"Kiku, do you know if Maria is here?" Yao said, her name stiff on his tongue. Kiku nodded, realizing what he had to do.

"Just follow me," Kiku replied weakly, beginning to walk in the direction of the library. Once inside, the world seemed to come to a halt.

Two officers were lazily chatting, nay, flirting, with the librarians at the front desk, munching on the stereotypical doughnut. Yao directed Kiku through a complicated array of bookcases, sensing the younger boy's fear, before retreating into the privacy of the pit. Inside, Maria and Emil were waiting, both shocked and relieved by Kiku's presence.

"Omigosh, you're here," Maria cried in relief, seizing Kiku into a hug. Kiku stiffened until Maria released him, Yao radiating with waves of jealousy towards the girl.

Kiku sat down among his friends, Yao taking a watchful corner for himself, deciding to fade into the background. Maria waved cheerily towards Yao while Emil simply inclined his head in acknowledgment.

"You saw the policemen outside just now, didn't you, Kiku?" Emil began, cradling his cheek with a hand, inclined towards the younger boy.

"Y-Yeah. Do you know why they're here?" Kiku asked, speaking softly.

Maria took Kiku's hand, causing Yao to visibly twitch. "Kiku, they're looking for you. When you ditched school Friday, they expected the worst. As I understand, I don't think they were able to reach you or your parents, so today they called the police because they have to find you. They might even hospitalize you!"

"Well, I was the one who checked him out of school early," Yao interrupted. He sat on the table, raising a leg and propping his foot on the edge of the side of Kiku's seat, creating a divide between the freshman and Maria. "And I'll be damned if they do anything to Kiku."

Maria, too naïve to take his action to offense, simply desisted. "Why did you do that?" she asked gently, a feeble smile on her face.

"Maria," Yao began,"I know that you like Kiku, but there's something you need to know: Kiku confessed his feelings for me and I want to go out with him."

Maria suddenly froze, feeling her heart climb into her chest. "B-But, Kiku and I—"

"Please, just listen to me. Kiku has liked me for awhile. I know that we went behind your back, but Kiku's really weak right now. When I was with him, he was even more vulnerable. And in a state like that, he just poured himself out to me. You've been extremely kind to him and I'm grateful for you being there when I couldn't be. But, this is how things just came out. I'm sorry, but I want to be there for him like you were," Yao explained, Kiku giving him a sad yet utterly adorable expression.

"...Kiku, is this true? I-I'm not angry, but please just tell me the truth," Maria stumbled, her brother beginning to stir protectively, craning over to make sure she wouldn't break down.

"I'm sorry, Maria, I really am," Kiku said, giving her a face then would make even a stone-cold heart melt.

She smiled once, before furiously scrubbing her face into her sweater sleeve.

"Alright, okay. E-Emil, stay with Kiku and be there for him, okay? I'm just going to be alone for a little bit." She heaved a sigh, rising and touching Kiku's arm, which Yao hoped was a friendly gesture. "Yao, you do realize that you're our friend, too, don't you? No more bailing at lunch! You're going to eat with us from now on, okay?"

Yao smiled, reaching out a hand, which she shook with conviction. "We're all going to be friends, so if you bail, you won't just have Kiku to deal with!" Maria said finally before gracefully leaving the pit, backpack tossed over a shoulder.

Kiku looked down, breathing a sigh of relief. Then, he came under Emil's icy scrutiny. "W-What? I'm sorry, your sister's amazing, but..."

"If you were a jerk I didn't approve of," Emil pounded a fist into his other palm, "I'd pummel you. But, you're a good guy. I would've really been pissed off if you would've cheated with someone out of spite for her. So, I guess you've liked this guy for awhile?"

Kiku bowed his head sheepishly. "Yeah, but I really liked Maria, too." Yao possessively rested his chin on the crown of Kiku's head, resting his arms around his shoulders.

"Hey, you seem to be forgetting me," Yao said pointedly.

Emil laughed to himself. "You know, this won't be much of a setback. She's got tons of guys lined up if she wanted to date any of them. Kiku, really, don't feel bad. You'd be pissing yourself if you stuck by her if you had feelings for someone else. Besides, you guys weren't even that serious. She'll get over it before you even know it."

"I know that, but she's still one of my best friends."

Yao butted Kiku a bit. "Yeah, but if you guys are that tight, just take it down a notch. It'll be like you never broke up," Yao said, patting Kiku's chest. "Besides, you've liked me even longer, right?"

"Yeah..." Kiku admitted, voice smothered beneath a blush.

Emil smiled. "Wonder if I can work magic like that on Sadik..." he said almost inaudibly.

Yao quirked an eyebrow. "Whoo, got the hots for the Turkish teacher?" he smirked offhandedly. It was Emil's turn to blush, his face lighting up like a rose-tinted sparkler.

"Well...! It's none of your business!" Emil bit defensively, folding his arms.

"Well, you won't have any trouble, Silver Prince. The dude's a flaming homo, just like me," Yao divulged, holding Kiku closer to his chest, making the younger squeak at the sudden action.

Emil's eyes became startled and wide, his lips becoming slack. "He is? How do you know?" Yao had to admit that the effect was quite a turn-on, but Kiku was much cuter.

Yao smiled secretively to himself, kissing the crown of Kiku's head as he thought rather playfully, making the freshman blush on in silence.

"Well, you know what happened last year, right?"

Emil looked sympathetic. "Yeah, it was all over Facebook."

"Well, Mr. Adnan pulled me aside after it happened, first day after winter break. Told me that he was gay too and that he'd be there for me if anything was bugging me. We're sorta friends, but the dude's just a cool guy I can rely on if I need it. Don't freak; he's not my type, anyway."

Kiku looked slightly jealous. "Everyone knows each other, everyone gets each other. Am I the only one out of the loop? You've all been like this...knowing each other from childhood. I only came to America a few months ago, and I've only known everyone for that long. God, it's just so frustrating..."

Yao sighed, pulling Kiku into a brotherly hug. "I'm sorry, Kiku, but I can't take you back into the past. That's all it is; the past. You've got now and the future only. Besides, you're not missing out on anything, trust me. Silver Princey here came to Roam with Maria and his family just last year. They're new, but you don't see him getting all mopey over it, do you?"

Kiku pulled away roughly, glaring daggers at Yao. "You just don't get it! I haven't had pleasant memories like that for three years! You live what I've lived through and, trust me, you'll understand why I feel this way!" he snapped brusquely.

Yao held up his hands placation. He walked over to Kiku, soothingly patting the boy's shoulder before he broke down crying. "God, you're right, I have no idea what the hell you've been through. But, Kiku, the point is that you're not missing anything. We're here, now, and we're going to help you heal. I'm not gonna say something empty and artificial. What I want to say is that we're going to be here for you now, okay?" Kiku nodded, and Yao warmly embraced him.

Rapid trudging down the stairs brought them to attention, and they were surprised to see Maria looking extremely shaken.

"Kiku! They're looking for you, and they're all really pissed!" she cried apprehensively, taking Kiku's hand. She glanced nervously at Yao, but he knew that the intent was supportive, not romantic. "The principal, the police, everyone! Come on, before they get down here!"

All four of them scrambled to gather their belongings as they raced up the winding stair. Emerging into the library, they found it devoid of students except for themselves. Medical personnel crawled around like bloodhounds, interrogating every faculty member, each being a teacher of a class Kiku was in. At least seven were there, each seated and asking a white-clad person armed with a pen and a clipboard full of paper being furiously scribbled upon.

Mr. Adnan spotted them. Yao recalled that Kiku was taking Turkish 1 with Emil as the bronzed man made his way towards them.

"Kiku, Emil, Yao!" the Turkish man exclaimed, rushing towards the four of them. His accent was thick through his voice, but very alluring.

"Kiku, şükür! I was just informed as to your situation. First the news article, now this... Allah, help you..." the man broke off. Kiku glanced over the tall man's shoulder, apprehensive as he saw an officer approach.

"Mr. Adnan, why are they here? Who called them here?" Emil asked, standing close to the handsome Turkish man. Sadik ran a hand through his short hair.

"I think it was a senior, the captain of the football, can't remember his name for the life of me..."

"Ivan," Yao growled. "Why were they called? Were you informed?"

Sadik rubbed the nape of his neck. "Mm, I think it was because...ah... Yes! That's right. The student...Ivan...told them that Kiku was contemplating suicide, seriously wanting to do it, so he told the principal who called the police, subsequently the hospital. He said that Kiku here was taken by you three to talk him out of it. Is this true, Kiku?"

Kiku furrowed his brows, upset and confused. "I was with them, but that's not why—"

"You there! You're coming with us!"

Kiku whirled around, his arm taken by a kind-looking African-American woman, although she wasn't the one who'd spoken. A grisly looking police officer, middle-aged with his face wrapped around by a tangled beard, subdued Kiku with his abrasive voice and brutish demeanor.

"It's okay, honey, we're just going to get you checked out," the African-American woman said sweetly, guiding Kiku through a set of doors to the side of the library that led to the parking lot. Her hand was gentle to his back, like a mother's, but Kiku kept tossing wild looks of fear toward his friends.

The principal, Mr. Smith, walked up to the group, the three of them startled into silence.

"Mr. Wang, I understand that you and Kiku are good friends, so I was wondering if you could accompany him to the hospital? Mrs. Lovinger, the guidance counselor, will be coming with you. Perhaps you'd be willing on his behalf?" Mr. Smith asked quietly.

Yao whirled to face him. "You know that my answer is yes," he said quietly, seriously. Yao bounded after Kiku, walking with him towards the waiting ambulance.

"Ah, so he's finally getting help? That's makes me glad."

Emil and Maria bristled at the sound of the voice, butter-smooth and sickly sweet.

Ivan stood behind them, the look of victory strong within his eyes. Emil glared at him, while he returned it with the finger disguised as a scratch to his beaked nose.

"Can I speak with you in private?" Maria asked, trying to act bouncy and flirty. Ivan smiled with faked pleasantries, knowing that Maria was one of the more sexier freshman. Why would he mind?

She took him between a set of bookcases, Emil left behind with Sadik, who really couldn't mind. They went in far enough so no one could see them, which was perfect for both of them.

"So, you think you know Kiku pretty well, huh?" Maria began, forcing herself to carry herself like the other ditzy girls she knew.

"But of course. I knew him better before you even began a relationship with him," Ivan purred, flipping some hair from his eyes.

"Hm, well, what made you think he should go to the hospital?" She took a step towards him as if drawn by an inexorable pull. Ivan smirked to the side, liking where this could go.

"Well," she took another step, inches from him, "he needs proper help, something the hospital can do..."

"Uh huh, and I'm guessing that you're not trying to help him, are you?" Maria twined her fingers through his scarf, and Ivan cleared his throat, his cockiness cut asunder by her fingers tracing circles on his chest.

"Well, if you want the truth, his family, his father, wronged my family... And..." Maria pulled him downwards, their lips inches apart, "he really caused much trouble for my family..."

A hand dashed itself across his face, a red welt beginning to form almost instantly.

"Pervert!" Maria shrieked, her countanance changing instantly to one of fear, tears streaming dramatically down her cheeks. She barreled into her brother, shaking and trembling, hands to her mouth, trying to stifle her sobs.

"Maria, what's wrong?" Mr. Smith demanded, a hand to her back. Emil did the same as well, glaring towards Ivan who was shocked, emerging cautiously from between the bookcases.

"I-I tried asking him what he'd heard from Kiku, because he wouldn't tell us, and Ivan just randomly groped me!" Maria wailed, quite a perfect actress.

Mr. Smith hardened his face sternly, sauntering towards Ivan. "Mr. Braginski, to my office, now! It's enough that you perpetuated Kiku's trauma, for which you claim sheer ignorance, but to do something such as this to a child! You will not go unpunished, young man!"

Ivan, mouth agape, fumbled for the words that wouldn't come. Mr. Smith directed him from the library, not until the football captain shouted, "You little bitch!" which earned him a firm scolding.

Maria regained her composure easily, wiping her eyes on the sleeves of her sweater.

"I won't lie to you, out of all the kids I don't like, he takes the cake," Sadik said tersely, cocking a wide grin.

"You said it," Emil and Maria said in unison.

* * *

Last thoughts: Okay, long hiatus was way too long! I'm back to fanfiction for good! So, what didja think? Plot has finally become plotulous, ne? If that makes any sense. If you wanna know why I've been absent for so long, it's because I've been dealing with school, my manic depression, PTSD, finals, and all of that jazz! It's been pretty tough, but I hope I can get through okay...

Honestly, I love Maria. Seychelles, whatever you want to call her. I couldn't let her down roughly because she and Emil, along with ChuNi and Sadik, have all really grown on me. I can't be mean to them! They're like my adopted babies, cuz we all have our own vision for the characters, right? Well, Maria is too nice and endearing for me to be mean to her. So, she's a part of what I wanna call the Sea Crew (Turkey, Iceland, China, Japan, and Seychelles) since they're all really close or on a body of water. I love these guys so much~~~

Okay, just know, that no matter what, I'll be turning out updates a bit more often for this, okies?

As always, review, review, review!

~Peace, G


	11. A Mile of My Friends

_There's a time in everyone's life…_

…_where so much happens that Fate decides to take your problems into its own hands._

_If there would ever come a time would I would feel grateful for Fate…_

…_I guess it would have to be now._

* * *

The ride to the hospital was done in a melancholic silence. Yao and Kiku kept quiet, knowing that it was for the best.

The kind, African-American nurse was able to elicit answers to generic questions, but nothing was invasive enough to put either of them on edge. Because the hospital was only a ten minute ride from the high school, Yao and Kiku were administered to fairly quickly, Kiku being processed in on fairly short notice.

A Spanish, sunny-looking doctor showed Kiku into a hospital room, asking Yao to remain outside, he almost having a hard time comprehending his rich accent.

"Hey, don't worry about your friend, okay? That's pretty nice of you to accompany him here. We'll take good care of him, but we'll be doing some other things really quick and get him settled. You can wait in the waiting room at the end of the hall, and we'll have a nurse come and get you when he's cool to see you, alright?" the doctor said reassuringly, a genuine smile on his lips. Yao felt a little relieved, at the least.

"Thank you. I'm just glad it wasn't anything serious, you know? I mean, he's my best friend and like a little brother. It'd suck if anything was really wrong with him, you know?" Yao shrugged, keeping his feelings in check. His boyfriend was in there, but he knew better than to spill their secret.

The doctor peeked in, seeing the buzz of nurses fussing over the pretty boy and deciding to hang back for now. Yao leaned up against an opposite wall, folding his arms. The doctor hooked his thumbs in his pockets, sighing.

"To be honest, I wasn't sure if he was really a boy at first. At first, I thought they'd screwed up and brought in a beautiful girl by accident or something," he said, not before catching himself. "By the way, name's Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. You can call me Antonio for now, though," the doctor added, smiling warmly.

"Yao Wang," Yao replied curtly. "Yeah, he gets that a lot. He's really popular with the girls at school, though. Believe it or not, there's actually another kid on par with Kiku in terms of looks. If race weren't a factor, they'd probably be twins." He smiled wryly.

"Oh, yeah! I have a friend who goes to your high school, do you know him? His name is Romano." Yao shook his head, not recognizing the name. "Oh, well, he mentioned something of a Silver Prince and a Raven Prince, and that these individuals are considered to be the most beautiful in your school. Would the boy happen to be one of them?" Antonio jabbed a thumb in the direction of Kiku's current room.

"Yeah. He's known as the Raven Prince, to be exact." Yao lowered his eyes, feeling uneasy. Luckily, a nurse poked her head through the door, asking for the doctor's presence.

"Well, back to work. I'll see you around, Yao," Antonio said pleasantly before disappearing inside.

Yao did as Antonio suggested and found said waiting room. After a few minutes, he felt somewhat bored, as well as tired, and fell sleep to heavy metal on his MP3 player.

For what seemed to be an eternity later, someone roused him awake, gently shaking his shoulders. Yao groggily wrenched his eyes open to see the kindred face of the African-American nurse from earlier.

Popping both ear buds from his ears, he followed the woman down the hall and into Kiku's room.

The boy was sitting with his legs swung over the edge of the bed, numbly staring into nothingness. He wasn't dressed in a hospital gown or attached to any machines or any kind of fluids, which was relieving, but it also worried Yao.

"Yao," Kiku greeted sadly, eyes seemingly ready to cry. Yao's heart all but melted.

"Hey, chillax. So, what's up?" Yao asked, seating himself in a nearby chair.

"They're going to let me return to school since I told them I'm seeing professional help in a few days. Apparently, my mom's really against this. At first I really wondered if she was right, but then I realized that being here would probably drive me over the edge. She told me over the phone that she's gonna take me to a holistic doctor who's gonna heal me and stuff, naturally. It sounds a lot better than being confined in here, you know?" Kiku said weakly, beginning to absently swing his legs back and forth.

Yao went over to the boy and hugged him for but a moment, then holding his shoulders. "See? Everything's gonna work out, Kiku—"

"I wish it were that easy, but you realize that Ivan put me into this mess, right? I mean, I was doing fine, and then his not only tears open these old wounds, but he also lands me here, in the hospital. Suicide? I know better. I'd rather live out my live than make anyone else suffer…" Kiku interrupted, hopping off of the table and sighing.

"Are you going back to school?" Yao asked, placing a hand on Kiku's shoulder.

Kiku only nodded, then leading their way out of the room and into the hall, then to the waiting room. "They were able to reach my mom, who was majorly pissed off at the school landing me here against her jurisdiction, and she convinced them to let me go. She's gonna pick us up since I told her that you're here."

They walked a ways before a familiar voice stopped them.

"Hey, Raven Prince, good luck out there! I hope that you feel better soon!" Antonio called down the hall, smiling sunnily before turning around to receive another patient. Kiku and Yao smiled back and Kiku called him to him a thanks and good-bye. Yao was just glad to see Kiku in better spirits.

Both soon navigated their way out of the maze of halls and the tangle of activity to meet Kiku's mother waiting outside.

The beautiful older woman embraced her son, ruffling the back of his hair. "I love you, Kiku, and I always will. We're behind you 100 percent," she whispered lovingly, making Yao smile faintly.

When she released Kiku, she turned to Yao, saying, "Thank you so much for being so supportive of my son. Well, I suppose we'd better get going, huh?" She smiled cheerily, opening the front door for Kiku.

When they were all settled in the car, they drove off towards Roam.

"Kiku, I just wanted to let you know that you have an appointment with that doctor after school. He was recommended to me by our family doctor, you know, Dr. Machado, the Cuban. This doctor's name is Eduard von Bock and comes with some very good credentials," she stopped abruptly from talking. "Oh, Yao, Kiku, I forgot to ask. How is school going?"

Both boys perked up a little at the question, Yao answering first.

"It's going pretty well so far, aside from these few upsets. Believe it or not, Kiku can actually get around without needing a map. Shocked me when he told me, to be honest," Yao said, chuckling.

Kiku whirled around to face Yao, face a mockery of anger. "Hey! Don't act so high and mighty just because you can get around!" The boy obviously couldn't keep a straight face.

Mrs. Yong Soo broke in laughing. "Oh, don't worry, Kiku. I was the same way in my high school. And it was much smaller. You're doing so well, so don't worry."

She quieted herself, the cheery atmosphere fading away with her smile, evaporating away just like that.

"Kiku, you've been pestered quite a lot by this Ivan fellow, haven't you," she began quietly. Kiku faced forward again, Yao scooting to the middle so he wouldn't be left out.

She turned briefly towards Yao. "I hear that he spread some very nasty gossip about you, too, Yao. Now, I just wanted to let you know that my husband and I accept everyone no matter what makes them different, and that we think of you as family."

"I'm sorry you had to hear about that. Yeah, I am the way I am, but it's always nice to know that not every adult's gonna shred apart people like me. Thanks," Yao said hesitantly.

"The same goes for you, Kiku. We love you and even though we've hit a rough patch, you're not going over it alone. I've talked this over with Im Yong Soo and he's very supportive of you as well." Kiku smiled slightly.

"Thanks, mom."

* * *

By the time they arrived at school, it was their lunch period.

They found Emil and Maria at a deserted table, both waving to them. Maria instantly got up and seized Kiku in a hug, the boy hugging back gently.

She released him to let him sit down, Yao taking Kiku's side.

"How did it go?" Emil asked instantly, moving closer to his sister who'd moved closer to Kiku, closing in enough so other people couldn't overhear them.

"It was okay, I guess. They wanted to keep me there for a week to document my behavior and stuff, but my mom called and told them that she'd be taking me out. After school, she's gonna take me to some holistic doctor and he's gonna put me on herbs and a new diet and stuff. I'm not sure how extensive it is, but it sounds better than being put on meds and locked in some cold, inorganic room, you know?" Kiku said, looking down. Maria wrapped her arms around Kiku's shoulders and the boy leaned his head against hers.

Yao didn't object or interrupt him, but some jealousy did flare up. However, he knew that this was Maria's way of comforting Kiku, and God knew that the boy needed it.

She let him go and they all opened their lunches, deciding that they didn't want to draw too much attention to themselves.

"Alright, Yao, your birthday was last Saturday, and I didn't hear about until I checked your Facebook! Well, listen up mister, because tomorrow we're dragging you to the beach for a party. Just the four of us, got it? It was Kiku's idea, when we were brainstorming what to do for you, so we're all gonna go to his house after school and hit the beach, got it? Are you free tomorrow? Because we all are," Maria said rather assertively, smiling brightly.

Yao cracked a grin, but was glad. For the first time in a long time, he was not only included among a group of friends, but he was also taken into consideration and treated like a bestie. His opinion of Maria was starting to change, and now he saw her as a friend.

Emil spoke up. "Maria and I are gonna bring some beach umbrellas, towels, and a radio. Kiku said he'd supply the food and coke, and he's also gonna bring some marshmallow pokers and some other stuff. Luckily, he has a golf cart that he's allowed to drive, so we'll probably set everything up before you arrive, okay, Yao?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna set everything up as well as guard it until you arrive. Emi's gonna stay with me, and then Kiku'll be your escort. We're all good, but, are you?" Maria chirped, smiling cattily.

"My dad's cool with whatever I do. As long as my grades are good and homework gets done, he really doesn't care that much how I decide to spend my after school time," Yao shrugged, trying hard to hide the tingle of excitement he felt. It was enough to spend more time with Kiku, but it was even better to finally do something with a group of true friends. It was his high school first.

They all agreed to meet at Kiku's tomorrow after school, at five thirty. It would allow them enough time to get their homework done, although it would probably be done into distraction. They all seemed to be looking forward to it greatly.

* * *

Yao pulled up in the driveway to Kiku's house, finding a niche off to the side for him to park his car. A quick peek into the garage revealed that both parents were gone, as per usual, as well as Im Yong Soo. While Im Yong Soo was a friend of Yao's, he was looking forward to spending his evening with Kiku and his newfound friends.

The sky overhead was still a brilliant azure, sparse clouds floating along like leaves down a river. The trees bristled together in the light breezes, overshadowing him and the house in cloak of organic protection. The mansion was practically hidden by the forest, although it was comforting rather than menacing.

Yao made the long trek up the winding stair leading to the entrance of Kiku's house, taken aback by its grandeur. He finally came to the imposing door and gingerly rang the doorbell, and was almost immediately greeted by Kiku who smiled warmly upon his coming.

"Hey, you're finally here! Come on in!" Kiku said cheerily, ushering Yao inside and closing the door behind him. Yao politely removed his shoes, deciding that he'd change into his sandals and swim trucks before they'd head down.

"Are you alone?" Yao asked, watching as Kiku fiddled with a knapsack that he'd be taking with him to the beach.

Kiku never lifted his head in acknowledgement, busily rummaging for something. "Yeah. They took my bro out to dinner and'll be gone for a while. Why?"

Yao never let Kiku see it coming.

He took the boy's hand and pulled him quickly into a tight, loving embrace, something he'd wanted to do since two days ago. Kiku gazed up at him, eyes large and doe-like, irresistible. Without hesitation, Yao kissed him tenderly, the boy swinging his arms around Yao's neck and furthering it. They quietly ceased it, Yao deciding to hold Kiku tightly, wishing that he would never have to let go.

"How did it go yesterday?" Yao asked quietly, moving to the wall to lean up against it, still holding Kiku.

Kiku nestled his head under Yao's chin, sighing peacefully. "It was okay. He basically said that I need to drink more tea, and he's gonna work out a new diet by the end of the week, is prescribing some herbs and stuff… I didn't really pay attention, but my mother looked really happy. She thinks it'll work, and I believe her."

"That's good," Yao said in relief, stroking the back of Kiku's head. "How do you feel?"

"A lot better. Right now, though, you, Maria, and Emil are my best medicine." Yao kissed Kiku one last time before letting him go, then patting him on the back.

Both had coincidently coordinated similar outfits, which consisted of a long t-shirt, Kiku's extending past his hips, and their respective swim trunks, which were both solid dark colors. Kiku's shirt proudly proclaimed Roam's logo while Yao's was a plain red one.

"Are you ready to go down to the beach? Emil and Maria and I set everything up before I took the golf cart up here to wait for you. You'll love it; we went all out," Kiku said, smiling excitedly.

Before Yao could dream of commending him, Pochi tumbled down the stairs, yipping excitedly and bouncing up and down at Kiku's feet. The boy picked the enthusiastic dog up, Yao ruffling the miniature dog's fluffy coat.

"We're gonna take him with us, okay? He's really well-trained and doesn't even need a leash," Kiku said, the dog panting happily in Kiku's arms.

Soon, both boys had their knapsacks slung over their shoulders, ready to head on out. They exited through the garage where Kiku had parked the golf cart. Because he had his arms occupied with Pochi, Yao volunteered to drive. It wasn't a difficult drive; it was just a straight shot down the slightly sanded gravel road that shot through the forest.

The trees overhead created a cozy tunnel that sheltered them against the harsher winds. Kiku was enraptured by the scenic tropical beauty of the deep forest that seemed to stretch on endlessly. The sounds of animals made for an even more exotic atmosphere, and the bright blue sky looked as inviting as the ocean they would soon be coming upon.

Because Kiku's house was situated on high upon a hill, the ride down was much faster than Yao had anticipating, he applying use of the brakes more than once. He was somewhat envious of Kiku for living among such beautiful surroundings, but felt that the boy truly deserved it after everything he'd been subject to in his life.

The trees soon gave way to an endless expanse of pearly white sand littered with sparkling light like the glinting of multitudes of diamonds. Since the beach spanned outwards quite a bit, there was a long distance for the water to reach, easing the waves' strength completely. The ocean was a brilliant sapphire before them, the path of sunlight shining like an exquisite crystalline road before them. The trees rocked rhythmically with the soft breeze, taking an edge off of the glaring sun. The sun itself was starting to sink, but it was at least an hour away from setting.

Yao glided up to where Maria and Emil were, the duo enthusiastically waving to them. The sleek golf cart eased to a complete stop, and Yao removed the key from the ignition, tossing it to Kiku. Boy and dog stepped off, and Pochi sprang from Kiku's arms, bounding towards Emil and Maria like an out-of-control roly-poly. Maria bent down to scoop Pochi into her arms, showering affection on the cute little dog.

Maria wore a cute, thin sundress that veiled the hazy outline of her slim body beneath, it embellished with ribbons and beads. Emil wore clothes similar to Yao and Kiku's.

"Long time no see! Happy birthday, Yao!" Maria called, waving to him, Pochi fidgeting in one arm.

"Yeah, happy birthday!" Emil shouted as well, over the dull roar of the cresting waves.

"Thanks, you guys," Yao said as they all came closer, sitting on the row of towels that had been arranged there. Arranged like a square, Yao and Kiku sat across from Maria and Emil, in the lee of two large umbrellas that casted odd shadows over them, but was a refreshing reprieve from the strong sunlight.

"Alright, since I'm guessing we've all had dinner, here's my specially made beach-friendly cake! Additional credits belong to Mr. Kiku here, my lovely assistant!" Maria announced with mock grandeur. Yao smiled at Maria, then Kiku who smiled softly and looked away shly.

"And, a special thanks to Mr. Emil for being our helpful kitchen bitch~" Maria added, which earned her a rough noogie from Emil, all done in good nature.

"Hey, hey! Silver Prince! Do. Not. Touch. Got it?" she scolded, earning a peal of laughter from both Yao and Kiku.

The three of them dove into the nearby cooler for sodas, which Yao was grateful to have. Kiku seemed anxious to swim, peeling off his shirt, revealing a cute yet prepubescent body that he wasn't ashamed to show off.

He grabbed a small stick and goaded Pochi, "Come on boy, let's play fetch!" The small dog bounced from Maria's arms and was up in a shot after Kiku who was making headway towards the ocean. Luckily, even far out, the water was only ankle-deep, which was ideal for a dog as small as Pochi.

"He looks so happy," Maria said dreamily after taking a long drink from her can of lemonade. She tucked in her legs and embraced them, resting her chin on her kneecaps.

"He deserves it, after all he's been through," Yao replied, setting down his can of coke after finishing it off, surprising even Emil.

He raced after Kiku, catching him mid-throw. Pochi barked after them excitedly, watching as his master was lifted over Yao's shoulder as the junior ran to the sea, getting to his waist and falling into the warm embrace of the ocean.

Kiku came up sputtering, only to be dunked in again by Yao. "H-Hey! Stop it!" Kiku choked out through his uncontrollable laughter, dunking Yao in next.

Maria quickly shed her sun dress, revealing a sunny-colored bikini against her tanned skin. Emil looked pale, starkly contrasting with his black swim trunks.

Maria and Emil shrugged and leapt to their feet, Maria hopping on Emil's back and clinging to him as they raced into the waves, plummeting into the water as Yao and Kiku had done. Maria came up, somewhat gagging through her giggles, only to have her brother dunk her back in. When she came up, she tackled him into the water.

Yao and Kiku laughed raucously at their friends' antics, Kiku tackling Yao into the shallow water, arms cinched around his waist. Yao embraced him back while Maria looked on, melting at the cuteness before her.

Soon, they forgot about time, wrapped up from playing badminton, beach volleyball, and even more swimming. Yao and Kiku had gone off snorkeling for a few minutes while Emil and Maria lay in the sun, Maria happily soaking in the sun, enthusiastic to work on her tan.

"Guys, look at what we found!" Kiku proclaimed, setting down a woven cloth bag, it filled with sea shells and other marine treasures.

Maria rifled through it, gasping when she found a gorgeous conch shell. "Can I keep it?" she asked, eyes sparkling. Kiku nodded happily, and she hugged him quickly.

Emil shook out his hair like a dog, Pochi barking and mimicking him. A chorus of "hey!" came from everyone else, making Emil smile devilishly.

"Alright, time for the long-awaited…cake!" Maria threw off the lid to the box she'd placed in the center earlier, folding her arms and smiling smugly. Yao took it all in, practically salivating even though he'd had a well-portioned dinner.

" Aw, man, shut up and give me some cake!" Yao said, seizing Kiku to his side with a squeak from the younger. Maria rolled her eyes and grabbed some paper plates and plastic ware while Emil craned around to turn on the old radio that began thumping out a bassy summer tune that was probably a souped up version of the Beach Boys, or something similar.

Maria and Kiku ate lightly, having only one serving each, while Yao and Emil seemed to be having an eating contest. Kiku facepalmed after Yao and Emil had devoured the rest of the cake, seeming to be very proud of themselves. Maria laughed while slapping Kiku's back, who embarrassingly began choking on his own saliva, dissolving into a coughing fit that left Emil and Yao in hysterics.

"Hey, you jerks, help him out!" Maria huffed indignantly.

Kiku took in deep breaths, finally done. "Ah, it's okay, I'm okay."

Yao collapsed on his back, fully contented now. He pulled Kiku down, who seemed incapacitated and could only squeak. Of course, Yao didn't mind in the least. He loved it whenever Kiku was this cute.

Kiku mischievously rolled on top of Yao, pumping his legs back and forth. "Hey, Yao, you make a pretty damn good towel," he teased, smile widening like a Cheshire cat's.

Yao lowered his eyes seductively, wrapping his arms around Kiku. "And you make a pretty damn good blanket," Yao whispered, winking, teasingly pulling Kiku closer.

"Hey, you've got presents, too, Yao," Maria said, dumping her torso on top of Kiku, making the already blushing boy flush even more furiously.

Kiku struggled from Yao's embrace, Maria helpfully pulling him off.

Yao laughed and sat up, scooting towards Kiku and the others. Maria assertively proffered the present to Yao, who smiled and began opening it. Inside there was a handsome leather wallet. He fingered through it, finding a picture of the four of them when they had crammed themselves into a photo booth with all of them smiling happily into the camera. Behind it, he discovered another with them pulling off the stupidest expressions conceivable. He scoffed, smiling.

"You guys are the best," he said, putting a hand on Emil's shoulder and briefly hugging Maria. Kiku received the tightest hug, although the boy didn't seem to mind.

Since all three had their clothes back on, they realized that it was time for the impending sunset, the ocean awash with an iridescent glow from the sun and sky. The horizon was ablaze with flaming oranges and burning yellows, the soft purple undersides of the clouds aflame with the reflecting colors of the sun. The sky itself was a deepening blue, which would soon fall into the color of night with its awakening stars.

"Today has been one of the best days ever," Kiku sighed, leaning against Yao's shoulder who had his head against Kiku's. Maria cuddled with a sleeping Pochi, tenderly stroking his luxuriously soft fur. Emil had lain back, propping his head against his arms. The radio let out a drifting jazzy tune that seemed to melt harmoniously with the dull roar of the far-off waves as they cascaded on to the shore.

"There will be more days just like this. We've got a long time to be together," Maria sighed, her light sun dress ruffled by the breeze.

"Yeah," Emil said, taking a sip of water.

Stroking Kiku's breeze-sifted hair, Yao closed his eyes for minute, trying to burn this memory into his mind before opening them again.

When he opened his eyes, he realized that he was still here with his closest friends, with the boy he loved, in the place he called home.

He wanted this reality to last forever.

* * *

Last thoughts: Yay! Yao's b-day party! I hope you guys liked this particular chapter, because I felt really happy typing it~ No Ivan in this chapter either! Happy day!

Just as a quick reminder, Antonio is Spain, Eduard von Bock in Estonia, Dr. Machado is Cuba, and Romano is Southern Italy. I'll try to get in more chapters, but I'd really like to swing focus on the less popularized characters and pairings and whatnot—even though I've kinda established that since chapter one. I think that after this chapter, things'll start to get more angsty and whatnot. To be honest, I thought that I'd be writer's H&R block'd for most of the chapter, but I guess not. Thank God! Didn't want to keep a chapter from you any longer!

~Peace, G.


	12. The Power of Pain

_I thought that things were finally looking up for him._

_He had us..._

_...had me._

_He was getting help..._

_...and everything just seemed perfect._

_Why did I have to be so wrong?_

* * *

The weekend had been so perfect for Yao.

He'd spent it in simplicity, sometimes reviewing the pictures from the surreal and sublime Friday spent celebrating his birthday, to mostly studying hard and losing himself in his homework. It was weird that Kiku didn't call him at all, but he didn't think too much about it. The younger boy was just as busy as he was, if not more, and he respected that. Call it mutual understanding between Asians of the importance of school.

The shower blasted hot water into his face, and he felt as the warm rivulets crept into every crook and crevice of his skin, seeming to melt away the tensity of the night. He raked his hair through a few times to rid it of the last of the shampoo, ready to leave its wet and watery embrace. He spun around the dial to cease the flow of water, reaching for the towel and proceeding to dry himself off.

There was a soft knock on the door that startled Yao. He shrugged it off, saying, "I'll be out in a minute," thinking that it was either his foster dad, Richard, or WanWan needing to use the restroom.

"Son, as soon as you're done, I'd like to talk to you." Yao's blood ran cold at the tone of his father's voice, freezing into a slurry of suspicion and fear at what was to come. His father, stressed as he was supporting two children on his own, was never one for such a serious tonality except when the subject of his dead wife and daughter arose.

"Alright," Yao replied evenly, hiding the anxiety lacing his psyche now. What did his father want? Was it something really horrible? He didn't want to know.

Maybe it wasn't really surprising. Like clockwork, whenever something truly wonderful entered his life, it seemed that some equal measure of misery had to balance that. As the early morning shock wore off, it being 5:30 AM, he sighed in disgust and proceeded to finish his morning routine off.

When everything was in order, he emerged from his room and made headway to the living room, a single lamp on and casting somber shadows on his father and everything in the room. The older man was smoking a Camel and was slumped over the article on Kiku, reading it with expressionless silence. Yao stiffened at the sight, but Richard made no motion of acknowledging Yao's presence.

"Sit down," the man said, flicking a glance at the old leather-back recliner. Yao did as he was told, listlessly staring at the words blurred in shadow from the lack of light.

Yao's father was doubtlessly a very handsome man, a man who was a mirror image of Viggio Mortensen. He epitomized the kind of man Yao wanted to grow up to become, and he was always very even yet protecting of his family. Being a Lord of the Rings fan from a young age, he always thought of the man as Aragorn, and his father certainly was the epitome of a noble king sentenced to squalor by the vicissitude of fate.

Richard folded his reading glasses and replaced them in his breast pocket, neatly resetting the newspaper and laying it on the worn coffee table. "I'm sorry about what happened to your boyfriend."

Yao was at first taken aback, but then he cracked an unsettled smile at the man's comment. "Dad, he's just a friend. We're not chicks. I think Wan has been rubbing off on you too much," Yao joked uneasily, his father's unwavering gaze never faltering.

"Wan approached me a few months ago and wanted to talk about you. She told me things that she said you were too ashamed to tell."

Yao swallowed nervously. "Like what?" he dared, brows furrowing in trepidation.

Richard swept some of his neck-length hair aside. "That you've come out. I'm not angry, but I thought that you might have some things that you wanted to tell me yourself."

"Big fucking doo. I'm a fag, alright? And the pretty-boy is my boyfriend. Nothing more to say," Yao spat defensively, folding his arms and then snatching the box of camels, tearing through the wrappings to pull one of his own to smoke, quickly lighting it and taking in a long drag.

"That's not really why I wanted to talk, Yao. I'm actually concerned for Kiku. Before my wife and daughter died, my daughter suffered from depression. And after reading this, I feel that Kiku may have it especially bad," Richard explained, eyes settling on the headline and the picture of the ethereally beautiful boy beneath.

"What is this supposed to mean? I know that he has it bad, but it's like he's hiding it. I've only known him for a few months, so I can't really say that much about him..." Yao finally admitted, at a bit of a loss. "Dad...what was your family like? You never really talk about them much..."

Richard leaned forward and crushed the spent butt of the cigarette into an ash tray, the sound of him grinding it into old ashes louder than even their breathing. The tip of Yao's own flared as he inhaled a drag.

His father leaned back into the soft and worn old couch, stating into contemplative silence for a moment. "I suppose you could say that we were happy, and that nothing was wrong with our family," he began, eyes listlessly staring into nothingness.

"But, that wasn't the case. When my daughter turned fifteen, she began exhibiting extreme symptoms of depression. She was withdrawn, self-injured, and extremely reclusive. I...remember coming home on late nights at work to hear her crying. Her mother was adamant that it was just a phase, but one evening, a few months before her sixteenth birthday, she showed us particularly vicious scars and confessed to her suicide attempts..." A sudden tear rolled down his eye, and the man grabbed for the pack, fumbling as he almost struggled to light it.

"My wife was still in denial, and she had a very aggressive shout-out, nearly driving my daughter Stacy to the edge. What Alissa did was rend our daughter to pieces, and I don't care to repeat what she said. Later that night, we were all to go out to dinner. I was still struggling over the feud between them, and I thought it might reconcile things between them. And yet, before they had the chance to, there was a speeding car on Center road and hit the right flank, in line with my wife and daughter. It was so much, at once, that I barely remember what had happened. There was a blinding light, and then I was in the hospital, waking up to a concussion and broken arm, news of their deaths waiting for me..." Richard faded, tears beginning to roll down his eyes even more. His voice choked up, but a few drags of his cigarette seemed to calm him. "And then, three years later, I adopted two beautiful children from China."

Yao lowered his eyes, the passing of the imagined scenarios blurring into the recesses of his mind. "I'm sorry. I wish that you never had to undergo that. You know, if I could, I'd rather be in an orphan in China if it meant that your family could live together," Yao nearly whispered, the last of his cigarette over with.

"You and Wan are some of the best people to come into to my life. When I heard what you two had been through, I promised to only give you the best that I could, and self-sacrifice to see that you two grew up happily. You two reminded me what it truly means to be a family. I remember that you were such a feisty toddler, Yao, and that Wan was but an infant. But even barely a year old, she was the most beautiful infant I'd seen since my own daughter."

Yao relented a little. "But, how did you take care of us when we were so young? Don't you miss your family?"

"I quit my part-time job and put my Bioengineering Master's to good use and contributed heavily to an online medical business. That way I could take care of Wan and you until you were both old enough to enter school. ...I miss them more than you can know. Even though this way sound callous, I sometimes wish to believe that maybe it was for a purpose. My daughter was bound...to find her own way out, and my wife had always been a heavily stressed woman. I feel as though this was clemency from above to free them from their lives, abrupt as it may have been," Richard admitted tiredly, rubbing his temples soothing, a numb attempt to quell his inner-most sadness and the old wounds torn anew. "You may not have known this, but before they died, I was a Biology professor at Roam University. My wife did many part-time jobs because she never went to college; rather, her parents couldn't afford to send her. We did what we could to get by, and yet my daughter's depression continued to take its toll on her. She had been doing poorly in school—she went to Roam as you both are—and it seemed as if she was only living day to day, inconsiderate of the future."

Yao crushed the cigarette in the ashtray nearest to him. "That was hardly her fault. Your daughter was suffering, undergoing so much, and she was doing the best she could. I'm not sure why she would've been depressed, but it's pretty common knowledge that it's something that strikes without warning, you know?"

Richard surrendered his head to his hands, finally giving way. "It's been twenty years since they've died, and I'm starting to forget their faces..." the older man said with a melancholy voice. Yao sat next to the older man, unafraid of supporting the only man he'd ever acknowledged as his father.

A hand to his shoulder, Yao tried to comfort him. "I don't remember what my parents looked like, and neither does Wan. We're not even sure if we had siblings, or other family. But you know what? You're the best person to have ever come into our lives. I've seen their pictures that you keep in your room. I honestly think she's my mother, and that Stacy, your daughter, was our sister."

Richard looked up, eye-to-eye with Yao, his foster son smiling. "You know, Yao, sometimes I think that fate brought you two to me for a reason. I think it's giving a second chance to be the father that I couldn't be for my daughter," the man admitted quietly, a hollow smile on his lips.

"Don't be shittin'! Seriously, old man, do you honestly think that she didn't love you? Do you think that your wife didn't love you? Don't fucking kid around! You know what? When I was eight, I sneaked around in your closet and found those albums with you guys in there. If they didn't love you, would they smile when you were together? Would Stacy take ninja-shots of you and Alissa, your wifey, being all mushy for Father's Day? Jack shit! Did you see those love-letters your wife sent to you when you guys were in high school? Christ, I almost gagged, they were so mushy. Fuckfish, you guys were so frickin' corny!" Yao lambasted, shooing away the gloom with his familiar obstinacy.

Richard seemed taken aback for a moment, but then began to quietly chuckle. Yao smiled smugly back, standing up to stretch and windmill his arms.

He stood with his back to his father for a moment, softly saying, "You know, they really did love you. Yeah, things mighta seemed stressful 'n shit before the accident, but that doesn't hide the fact that you guys were tight. I really wish that they were alive so that Alissa could be my mom. Stacy would've made one hell of an awesome sister to us..."

He felt a hand on his shoulder, whirling Yao around to be seized into a fatherly hug. "Thank you, son. I don't think I've been able to forgive myself for their deaths until now..."

Yao returned it relentlessly. "Well, don't forget it or else Wan and I will TP the place next Halloween!" he threatened gruffly, hiding his feelings of comfort beneath a tough augur.

Richard just chuckled, and then they returned to the couch. "Yao, still, what about Kiku? What the boy has gone through may have more unprecedented tolls on his psyche then you may believe."

Yao rubbed his temples in consternation. "Yeah, I know. Doesn't help matters that Braginski is trying to put us both through. The little shithead has some kind of vendetta against us, especially Kiku. We talked about it awhile back, and I sorta thought that maybe his high-and-mighty family might've been entangled with Kiku's, somehow. He doesn't know who his father is, so I thought that maybe he could have been some government official or somethin' and then got into some deep shit with his family. Far as I know, the Braginski tribe is hella rich and that Ivan himself said that his family is really up in the epoch of society, especially so for his relatives back in Russia."

"That does sound rather far-fetched, Yao. He could just be a bully with insecurities and perhaps homophobia, and he's taking them out on you both," Richard reasoned.

"Dad, seriously, don't you think that it's kinda coincidental that the article was so fucking detailed and shit? Plus, as soon as he entered Roam, Ivan hadn't been real aggressive towards me. I think homophobia justifies what he did to me last year on Facebook, but not towards Kiku. The kid's real cute and practically harmless. What threat could he pose to Ivan? If the fact that Kiku threatens his place on the school hierarchy remains, wouldn't he have gone after Emil, the Silver Prince, awhile ago too? I still think that I'm on to something here," Yao explained with a little frustration.

"You do have a point. This article seemed almost as if an insider involved with the incidents behind Kiku's trauma divulged the information to Braginski. You sure do have some quick wit," his dad praised lightly, not before scrutinizing the article a little more closely.

"These pictures...take a look at the credits." Yao flipped through the massively long article, coming to the last pages where in small font splayed before them the credits.

Richard scrutinized them closely, leafing through to their corresponding images. "These are all a part of one major corporation. Each is a subsidy company, and they all belong to Braginski Capital, a large and multifaceted corporation housed in Russia. What can throw the layman off is the fact that these are credited to individual photographer and the companies that own the rights to their pictures, but I did the research and found that they're all just subsidy companies," Yao explained as his father continued his study of each of the pictures.

"Another giveaway is the fact that all of the companies that hired Kiku when he was enslaved made contact with the Braginski's and paid a tithe to them upon him working for them. It seems that the people who enslaved him were in every step of the process during the two- to three-year span he was in South Korea, beginning with his capture and service, excluding his release and eventual adoption by the Yong Soo's." Yao leaned away and began to smoke another cigarette, his father ponderously holding his chin in hand.

"And you came to this conclusion when...?" he pressed lightly.

"For a few months Kiku seemed to have forgotten about me so in that time I decided to do some heavy researching into this. It only took me about a week, but what I found was pretty stunning. However, the depth of this article far exceeds what should have been available to your average high schooler, even if he is extremely internet savvy. I think what is exposed here could only have come from insider, high-tier resources. Plus, isn't it just a little odd that Ivan wasn't punished harshly for what he did to Kiku? Mr. Smith, our principal, was furious at first. But little more than a week later Ivan is absolved from punishment and the whole matter seen as only a riveting expose at the hands of a brave senior. Sure, it's obvious that the article is still in circulation, but now it's returned to square-one: an article exposing human trafficking and the moving story of a brave kid. Even though Kiku didn't contribute to the article voluntarily, and it was extremely damaging to his recovery, Ivan still got away with it Scot-free. And, to add insult to injury, none of the faculty will speak about it, not even Mr. Smith who I feel was particularly pissed by it," Yao finished, his father laying down the article on his lap.

"So, you think that the Braginski's might have laundered a pretty penny to keep them quiet?" his dad asked.

"Pretty much. The only thing is, I'm only going on suspicions. It is pretty fishy that they're keeping quiet about it, while 'helping' Kiku, but what can I do? Sure, I've got enough evidence stacked against them with the article alone, but there's still so much I have to figure out..." Yao trailed off, his mind rifling off ideas while Richard gazed someone expectantly at his son.

"Yao, as brilliant as you are for figuring all of this out, you have to understand that you're only a boy. If this really is as constructed as you say, it's you versus a very powerful, very influential, multinational corporation. How do you plan on going about this and helping Kiku?" Richard asked, genuine concern in his eyes.

Yao surged from the couch and folded his arms, pacing erratically. "I know, I know! You don't have to remind me... Even if I do corner that bitchface and his family, I sure as hell don't have the money or the means to finish that fucker off. Plus, if Kiku is in as deep as you say, he may be hard to heal."

"Yao, dad, what are you guys talking about? It's only 6:30...I could barely sleep," Wan complained, rubbing her eyes childishly.

"Dad was just concerned about my grades and whether or not I should be taking so many AP classes. Nothing to get so pissy about," Yao interjected smoothly, their dad shaking his head at Yao's less-than-delectable choice of words.

Wan folded her arms, seeming more awake than before. "Well, _brother, _some of us actually need our beauty sleep. Ugh, whatever. This will give me more time to curl my hair and do my make-up anyway," she sighed dramatically. "Kiku is _so _lucky. He's not even a girl and yet he looks like he wears a ton of make-up... Oh, speaking of princes, Horace and I broke up and I asked Emil Steillson if he'd go out with me. He, _omigosh_, said that he'd _think _about it! It's a good thing that I broke up when I did. I've been thinking about dating Emil for awhile anyway. Horace is so boring and kinda ugly compared to him, you know?"

Richard just chuckled to himself and made way to the kitchen to whip up some breakfast, leaving the two teenagers to themselves.

"Wow, way to whore your way around, goddamn slut," Yao scoffed, disgusted at his sister's inappropriately quick change of heart. With a sinking feeling he remembered that he and Kiku had hooked up while Kiku'd technically been Maria's boyfriend...never-mind the fact that Kiku had come on to him.

"Yao, I swear to God! I am going to fucking kill you one of these days, you fucking homo!" Wan spat back, whirling around in retreat to the bathroom.

Yao bitterly scoffed to the side, smarting from his sister's comeback and his less-than-delicate handling of the situation. He flicked his eyes to the kitchen, Richard staring at him impassively, then sighing and resuming the brewing of his morning coffee.

"Yao, please use a little more decorum. I'll admit that your sister shouldn't break-up with her boyfriend for such reasons, but you have to understand that she's young and flighty. I'll talk to her after school," Richard decided evenly, his tone always balanced and strangely harmonious.

The junior just grit his teeth and scoffed, returning to his own room to needlessly study for a test he knew he was going to ace anyway.

* * *

"Maria, Emil, have you guys seen Kiku at all today? I haven't been able to get a hold of him all weekend," Yao began as he took his usual spot across from the pair, dumping his backpack off to the side.

Maria lowered her head slightly. "I tried to talk to him on Facebook last night, but he deactivated his account. I've tried calling him, emailing, skyping—everything! Emil hasn't had any luck getting into contact with him either," she said, her eyes filled with a wobbling worry.

"Yao, when you left Kiku's house after the party, did he seem off to you at all?" Emil asked, face a mask of solemnity.

Yao thought back to Friday, an epiphany coming to him. "Yeah, he was really guarded. Like he was hiding something. It was like when I met him again after waking up with a hangover at his house and before he told me his fucked-up story."

"Yao, I'm really worried! Emil and I don't have open-campus because we don't have permission to, so can you please check by your old meeting spot? I'm terrified for him!" Maria cried shakily, Emil taking a shoulder in comfort.

"Just hang out here, alright? I'll be back before you know it," Yao assured, wanting to find Kiku more than any of them.

* * *

Yao came to a huffing halt before the dumpsters, wasting no time as he ran behind them, nearly dying of relief at finding Kiku.

"There you are," he exclaimed, hugging the boy tightly and close. He ruffled the despondent boy's hair, breathing deeply, reveling in his boy's comforting presence and warm, sweet scent.

Seated against the heated pavement, he felt Kiku's small hands worm their in between them, shoving Yao away. Yao lay stunned as Kiku stood cornered against the wall, his eyes raw with burning trails still fresh with tears upon his cheeks, a slip of toilet paper peeking from a sleeve that was clenched at the mouth by the opposite hand. He was hiding something.

Yao stood up, gingerly reaching out with a hand, Kiku walling himself against Yao, turning away. "Kiku, what's wrong?" he asked gently, ready to hug him close again.

Kiku glanced up, face partially hidden by a frame of black hair that seemed to be sheltering him from Yao. He dropped his head, numbly pulling up the sleeve he was guarding so vehemently. There, Yao's eyes widened as he saw the many layers of reddened toilet paper wound pathetically around his arm. Kiku weakly unbound them, soon revealing a trembling, small arm that was viciously gashed as though a knife had been taken to hhis tender skin. The three deepest ones were at least a centimeter deep on the face of his arm, with myriad smaller lacerations nearby. The undersides were thankfully unscathed, but these wounds were still bleeding heavily, circling beneath his arm to drip sickly to the ground.

Kiku rewound his pathetic wrappings, lowering his sleeve before finally looking painfully at Yao, trying to school his face into one of seriousness. He failed, breaking down into heavy tears once again, sinking to the ground, the sound of fabric scrapping against brick as he did.

Yao took Kiku into his arms, holding him fiercely as he fought back tears of his own. To see the one dearest to him hurt himself was anguish and torture in itself that he couldn't prevent this.

"Kiku, what happened? God, what did I do wrong? Why did you do this?" Yao choked out, Kiku stiffening in his embrace. He pulled the boy closer, not wanting to let the broken freshman go.

Kiku sniffled loudly. "I hate it here, Yao! After today, I'm never returning to this country! I cut myself because the pain was too unbearable! I want to go home... I want to be in Japan!" he sobbed, shoulders shaking in his vulnerability.

Yao used his thumb in a vain attempt to wipe away Kiku's tears. He knew that there must have been a reason behind all of this.

"Does Ivan have anything to do with this?"

Kiku froze, and nodded weakly. "He messaged me on Facebook Saturday, saying how he and his family were really going to make me suffer. I couldn't take it anymore, so I cut myself. Then, Sunday, I got a friend request from my godmother Masami back when I had been forced to do modeling campaigns for a Japanese company; she'd modeled with me and took care of me. She's rich now, Yao. She married a CEO a few months ago, and when I told her the brunt of my story, she said straight away that she would adopt me and take me to Japan if I wanted, since we're the closest thing to blood relations. Her husband even said that he could help me find my birth father. They both talked to me for a long time, and after what I've gone through, they want to take me home to Japan and help me recover. They both want to do whatever it takes to help me...and Masami, she was like a mother to me during that time. I love her like a mother. They both flew in from Japan last night and want to talk to the Yong Soo's so they can arrange for my adoption. I hate it here. I want to live with them, In Japan," Kiku said softly, fresh tears bursting from his eyes that he wiped away hastily with a sleeve soiled by previous tears.

It was Yao's turn to go into shock. "Kiku...does that mean...you no longer want to be with me anymore?" he stumbled, voice shaken by Kiku's plan.

Kiku moved away, lightly wrestling himself from Yao's grasp, which Yao almost wanted to fight to hold.

He stood up and hugged himself. "I'm sorry, Yao, but being with you reminds me of those evil men who raped the boys who were my friends. The thought of being with another man...I can only think of that..."

"Kiku, I'm not like that! I'd never—!"

"I've seen the way you looked at me, before we decided to go out! The lust I saw in your eyes was disgusting! I guess it's getting hard to contain, huh? You probably can't wait until you can have sex with me! Yao, you tried to hide it, but I know what you're really thinking! You want me for my body, for pleasure, like those monsters did! I bet the reason you're really upset is because my arm is so cut up and you want me to be pristine before we do the deed!" Kiku accused, voice rising into a falsetto he was so upset, his throat constrained by tears.

"I don't see you that way at all! I would never—" Yao protested, cut short by another accusation, Kiku taking him by the lapels of his collar and shaking him weakly.

"Yeah? Well what's your great reason, faggot?" Kiku shrieked, railing against Yao, cornering him to a wall, eyes livid with rage.

Yao bowed his head, then raised it, tears brimming in his eyes.

"Kiku, I love you."

Kiku staggered back, eyes agape and mouth slightly ajar in shock. He stumbled, eyes still trained upon Yao, who at this point was crying.

Yao opened his arms, a desperate smile alighting between the trails of tears. "I love you," he repeated, seemingly unable to say anything else, advancing upon Kiku.

Kiku's brows furrowed deeply and he squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head like there were nightmares afoot. He scrambled to his feet, wobbling to a stand.

"I don't want to see you ever again. I'm going to Japan, Yao, and I'll never hear from you again. And, one day, I think I'll invite Maria over and I'll marry her. I still love her. I never wanted to be with you. I was confused and hurt, and you made me think that I had feelings for you when I don't. You're sick in the head, you fucking animal," Kiku said in a dangerous low, shoulders quaking with fear.

The boy righted himself, and broke off into a sprint past him, disappearing completely around them, to make his final escape.

Yao...was mortified. He slumped against the wall, forehead to its coarseness, everything numb and gray, his vision twisting and swirling through his tears, feeling only heat and water. Then, the assault of what just happened ricocheted violently into his mind like a hail of bullets that wracked his body with subliminal pain. He pounded his fist into the bricks, turning around to face the sky.

He cried in broken sobs, sinking to the ground and pulling his knees to his chest, crying harder then he ever had into blackness.

Never before had he wanted life to end as much as he did now.

How could he dream of living when the love of his life was gone?

* * *

The rest of the day dragged on in a fog for Yao. Classes were merely whispers through his mind, and the world ceased to exist for him. All he saw was Kiku's face cold yet still preserving the sadness; his voice that was as cold and painful as shrapnel in a winter's storm, hard and driving through his being. Those were the things he thought could only be the manifestation of a nightmare. And to hear them from the only boy he thought loved him in turn...

"Yao! Where are you going? Did you find Kiku?"

Yao's brows furrowed and his face hardened, the last barrier before the sadness could cripple him again.

Maria sprinted up to him, Emil in tow. "Hey, you look like shit," Emil observed, concern in those fathomless violet eyes. It was concern as far as Yao could see it.

Yao lifted his head and matched eyes with Maria, the sadness in his eyes puncturing through the tough facade. Maria instantly could see that something was wrong and seized him in a hug. Yao returned it, her comfort a crutch to his new found loneliness.

"Sit down," Maria said, taking his arm and guiding him to a bench, Emil taking the other side. Yao sat heavily, gritting his teeth as his vision began to blur again.

"Can you tell us what's wrong?" Emil asked softly, almost afraid to touch the breaking older male.

Yao sucked in a sharp breath. "Guys, Kiku is leaving us. He's lost it, and his depression became too much. He broke up with me because he's convinced that I'm a pervert that wants him for his body, which stems from trauma of those last three years. One of the models, who is also his godmother, from back in his work days found him on Facebook and she married herself off to some rich tycoon. They're both Japanese, and she wants to adopt Kiku and bring him to Japan. He's really homesick, and they promised to help him find his father. This woman...he really trusts her. Kiku said she was like a mother to him back from some two-month stint for some Japanese agency..."

Maria was shell-shocked, paralyzed and almost motionless. "What? Oh God...why didn't I realize this...? I feel so terrible..." her voice quavered, a hand to her mouth.

Emil reclined lightly. "It can't be helped. Yao, I know that what he said is really cruel, but after what that kid's been through, can you really blame him? He's only thirteen to boot... Listen, you're a good guy, Yao, but all of this is too much for anyone. Not only was he kidnapped at a young age, put through hell, and slew of other shit that we can never imagine, he also had to hear of his mom's death all while in a place far from home. Plus, he was adopted by people he didn't know and brought to a country that speaks a completely different language and endorses an alien kind of culture. And for a kid his age? I'm sorry, Yao, but if he doesn't return to where he belongs where he's the most comfortable and feels the safest, he probably would've ended up hurting himself more or worse...committing suicide. Not to mention that the guy who brought everything back still goes here, and his family is out for shits against Kiku. He needs to heal and there's nothing we can say or do that can really help him out."

"Emil, don't you see what he did to Yao? He could have said a better good-bye than bringing him down like this," Maria lamented, pulling Yao in to let the senior rest of her shoulder, which Yao did listlessly.

"I just...had no idea. I mean, a pervert? That's the last person I would dream of being for Kiku... I want to be everything he needs, not anything that he hates," Yao said quietly. "He even called me a faggot. I mean, my sister calls me that sometimes when she's mad, but to hear that from him when he means it..."

Maria held him a little more closely. "We'll get him back, Yao. He just can't leave us like this."

"You guys can. He expressly voiced his hatred of me, and broke ties with me. He said he loved you, Maria, all along and that I just seduced him when he was down after that article was published. I don't want him to leave me like this, but what can I do? I've only known him for little more than two months now. He's probably known that woman for the same amount of time, if not longer. I just feel like an idiot for falling for him in the first place!" Yao self-berated, his hand scrambling through his backpack for a cigarette.

At the first inhale he felt his nerves finally relax fir the first time since Kiku's bold declaration of animosity. He sighed out the fumes, Emil and Maria scooting away slightly so they wouldn't reek of the smoke.

Maria sighed, a finger raking through her hair. Yao studied her for a moment, before offhandedly saying, "You still love him, don't you?"

"Yao, that was awhile ago..."

"It's November, Maria. It wasn't that long ago."

She looked down, reluctantly confessing, "Yeah, I do. It still hurts, when you two hooked up behind my back. I know that he was feeling hurt, but you shouldn't have been so affectionate with him. He's young, and after all he's been through, he's weary and can't discern brotherly feelings from romantic ones... Especially since he was sexualized like that. I'm not mad since you never did openly ask him out or anything, but you should've been more guarded, I guess..."

Yao became a little pissed. "The kid was hurt and needed some support! What the hell else was I supposed to do? Be cold and callous? None of us know shit about his true sexuality or anything, so until that's cleared up, there's nothing that can be blamed on me! If someone I like makes a move on me, the hell am I supposed to do? Reject him and piss both of us? I'm sorry, Maria, but I had no intention of perving him up or anything. I was fine with 'just friends,' and that only changed because he did!" Yao cried defensively.

Maria looked a little irate. "You know what? I'm going to go to him. It's no use arguing over something in the past! I'm going to tell him that I still love him, and then maybe he'll decide to stay!" she huffed, grabbing her backpack and walking with an exaggerating gait, heading home.

"Shit!" Yao cussed, glaring after the brunette bob of wavy hair as she became a far-off speck quickly heading back to her home. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

Emil sighed, poising to stand and leave himself. "Be on Facebook after ten, and I'll message you with the verdict. This is all shit, Yao. God, I've never been in a mess like this. You two are the only ones who care about him a whole lot; he's my best friend, but not a lover. The hell am I supposed to do?"

"I guess you've got a point. Shit, I've got to get to work anyway. I'll message you, as promised. Jizzfish, I just wish that none of this was happening." Yao saw Wan running towards him, probably drooling at the sight of Emil.

"Uh, see you around," Emil said hastily, veering in the opposite direction, eager to be far away from the overly ambitious freshman girl.

Wan ran up to Yao, panting, looking fairly disappointed at the sight of Emil's retreating back. "Aw, I wanted to ask him if he wants to go out with me," she whimpered pathetically.

"We have to go, Wan. Stop farting around."

Wan huffed indignantly, but then dropped it just as quickly. She twiddled her thumbs, shyly averting her eyes. "I'm sorry for what I said this morning, Yao. I really didn't mean any of it, you know."

"It wasn't right for me to treat you the way I did. I'm sorry, too. But, it's not right to dump guys like hot potatoes as soon as you see a juicier one. Be a little more frugal next time, and apologize to Horace if you get the chance," Yao said, scuffing her hair slightly.

"I heard about Kiku from a classmate. God, I hope that he's happy in Japan," Wan sighed sadly as the two of them proceeded to the clunker of a car.

"Yeah," Yao said nonchalantly, trying to hide the hurt that throbbed through his chest painfully.

* * *

"Excuse me, who are you? Kiku, who is this woman and why is she here?" Mrs. Yong Soo queried defensively, immediately pulling Kiku behind her back.

"Oi, what's going on?" Im Yong Soo asked from behind, a little stunned to see Misami Otonashi standing at the door, a former Victoria's Secret Angel and top-tier model known internationally.

"Umma, there's a really hot, famous model at out door; let her in!" Kiku's foster brother peevishly urged, only to receive a reproachful and stern glare from his mother.

"Otonashi-nim, we know who you are, but why is Kiku with you?" Mrs. Yong Soo demanded, hands protectively on Kiku's shoulders, the boy throwing up glances at his slightly taller mother.

"Excuse me for not properly introducing myself. My name is Masami Otonashi, and I'm Kiku's godmother."

The woman before them, the same age as Mrs. Yong Soo yet levels above her in beauty, wore of smart black, tailored suit and sharp black high heels of a delicate black satin. Her hair was pulled into a high, sophisticated ponytail that was devilishly straight, bangs overshadowing her brow cropped to an edge above her eyes. Her face was rounded like a moon, yet filled with gracious, feminine features most women would've easily killed for. The cunning in her eyes belied the warmth that now rested upon the sight of her godson.

Mrs. Yong Soo glared at the Japanese woman dubiously. "Please, come in and explain yourself."

She led Masami through the foyer and the grand living room, and into the joint study occupied by the working couple.

In the study, in its own wing of the house lay a room high where deceiving glass cases that stretched halfway up the cold concrete walls were lined with many a new and old book, ornate and bizarre art pieces were framed against these walls. One wall facing the sea and forests at the back of the house was simply a massive window the sloped inwards and was like a dome in its curvature, showcasing the splendid beauty of the forest and sea, marred only by the roiling clouds of an impending pacific storm. In the very center were two large, glass desks, parallel to the other, shaped like traditional wooden ones, many papers and assortments of paraphernalia peeking through their drawers. The desks were a mirror image of the other, the largest silver Mac desktops money could buy sitting upon both. The floors were cold marble veined by meandering black rivulets, a simple, white shag rug sitting between the desks. A whimsical center table was mounted by a nude sculpture of a man in woman meeting each other in a cyclone of wind. Ringing that were two harshly shaped chairs of a striking orange that seemed to contest with the otherwise muted color schemes of the study. Light bulbs rained from the ceiling and cast uneven lighting throughout the room, irregular shadows building in corners and lashing off of edges.

Mrs. Yong Soo took the desk with its back to the great picturesque window, gesturing for Masami to take the seat before it intended for use by a client. In a way, Masami seemed to be there to buy Kiku's affections.

"You said that you were Kiku's godmother; can you please offer proof?" Mrs. Yong Soo asked politely.

Kiku watched on as Masami leafed through her slim briefcase, pulling out several sheaves of paper that she fanned out delicately on Mrs. Yong Soo's desk.

"Kiku, come here; there are some pictures of you, it seems," Mrs. Yong Soo announced, Kiku coming to her beckoning eyes and politely standing by her side.

"Do you remember our family reunion at Tokyo DisneySea? The first picture was taken at the entrance, back when you were only nine."

Kiku gingerly took the aging Kodak into his hands, instantly recognizing himself and Masami...tearing up when he came to rest his eyes on his mother who was holding his giggling younger self high as they posed with a ragged-looking Mickey and Minnie with everyone else in the family.

Kiku reached for a tissue, discreetly wiping the tears away. "It's real, umma. She's really my godmother..."

They looked through several more family photos that Masami appeared in with Kiku, as well as a birth certificate and myriad other important documents, finally coming upon the will his mother had authored before her untimely death.

Kiku read over the important parts, seeing that his mother's assets would be frozen until he turned eighteen, little more than four years off. He hoped that age would come to him while living in Japan.

They discussed a few other arrangements, seeing that it really would be okay to return to Japan if he wanted.

"We'll take only what he needs. My husband has a room free in his home that's nicely furnished and can easily be personalized and furnished to Kiku's tastes if he wants. There's a nearby junior high, since he technically won't enter senior high until the fall, that is aware of Kiku's situation and is willing to accommodate for his needs should he decide to live with us. My husband's lawyers can arrange any details that need to be tended to so nothing on your part is really necessary. We live on Hokkaido, in Sapporo, a little ways from the city that's fairly isolated and rather like this. The only difference is that we face the Sea of Japan, not the Pacific," Masami explained, reaching into her briefcase and pulling out pictures of aforementioned estate.

The manor appeared as a Victorian-era estate, only with a Japanese twist. It was elegant and as if from a dream, and by the the looks of it, it was enchanting and old, as if a fairy queen occupied it once. It was shrouded over by the towering boughs of trees older than anything in Roam, and it was exquisitely beautiful. Kiku felt fairly drawn to it, like a warm dream ready to embrace him in happiness.

"It's beautiful," Mrs. Yong Soo commented reluctantly, breaking Kiku from his rapture.

"Thank you. It's the family estate of my husband's; the Otonashi's long-time homestead. It's fifteen minutes away to school in the city by car and about thirty if he chose to walk. The school is also in the city, but it's in an area that's rather laid back and quiet, so the dissonance of a typical city shouldn't be a problem for Kiku's health. I must say though, as a woman of business to another, your home is rather impressive. I'm glad someone as well-off as you adopted Kiku. I wouldn't stand for him to be living in squalor." Masami rose from her seat to bow deeply. "Please, from someone who had to watch helplessly as her godson lived in bondage, you have my warmest thanks and unworthy, yet deepest gratitude. Nothing I can say or do can even express the inkling of gratitude I feel towards you for taking care of him so lovingly."

Mrs. Yong Soo looked slightly troubled, but rose and bowed curtly, politely. "For you to reignite the flames of Kiku's true happiness and hope, I believe, is reward enough. For him to return to his closest family is the greatest wish my heart could have been granted. Otonashi-nim, we truly feared the worst if he couldn't find any of his family. Now, those fears have been quelled by someone who truly loves him."

Kiku unexpectedly hugged Mrs. Yong Soo from behind, tightly and through his impending tears. "Umma, if it weren't for you, I would've never had a family after my fate! I love you..."

The Korean woman returned the embrace, overwhelmed by emotions for a boy who had only been her son for less than a year. "You will always be my son in my heart, Kiku..."

Masami wiped a tear in the corners of her eyes with a elegant kerchief, a wobbling smile at the beauty of such familial love between former strangers. "You're always welcome to come visit here with your umma, or she may come visit us. I could never dream of separating any of you, Yong Soo-san."

Kiku and his foster mother parted. "Thank you, Otonashi-nim. And Kiku, you can visit whenever you like. You will always have a home with us."

* * *

That night, Kiku went to the beach alone, cell phone in hand, the chorus of deafeningly exotic sounds beleaguering his ears with an onslaught of mystical beauty. The moon was at a perfect full, radiant rings of light accenting its bluish beauty, framed by an endless swath of stars like diamond in the velvet black blanket of night sky. After half-an-hour of trekking down the long, lonely, wooded path he came to the opening of the beach. The sand glittered a crystal blue, and the sea of dark navy scintillated under the midnight sun. The leaves of the forest bobbed gently in cool and tangy breezes, barely above a whisper while the dull roar of the sea resonated peacefully through his mind.

The screen of his phone flared to life like one of the stars themselves, buzzing urgently. He smiled upon seeing Maria's name, flipping it open.

_I'm here._

Kiku closed it and pocketed it, turning to see a familiar silhouette dashing towards him, kicking up sand like a wind spirit. They both were still in their uniforms, probably due to the mass of events from earlier that day.

He was overtaken by an embrace which he gladly returned.

"Hey there," Maria greeted softly, her nose inches apart from Kiku's.

They parted, and began to walk along the dreamscape on a carpet of surprisingly warm sand, silhouettes to the moon and stars.

"I'm guessing I have some explaining to do?" Kiku guessed immediately, their earlier correspondence being only that they agreed to meet here and now.

"Yeah. Is it true? Do you hate Yao that much?" Maria began gently, both beginning to lapse into the quiet waves only inches deep, both barefoot.

"I don't hate him, Maria. It's just...the thought of being with another guy sickens me. I'm not homophobic...it's just, since that article came out and tore open those wounds, all I see are those rapists predating upon those boys who were my age. It's because of what I saw and endured that I'm still afraid of some guys, especially at the thought of being in a gay relationship with any guy. Besides, during that time, I was confused. That experience made me aware of sexuality more than most kids at that age so I guess a lot of my preconceptions come from a deeper understanding of sex, at least its brutality. So, since Yao happened to be gay and liked me, I unconsciously sought comfort in ways that I knew best: sex and love. But, Yao had become like a protector for me...I guess. Not emotionally, but he kept me distracted. Like a lover. I realize now that I was just using him, the way I'd been used. Only, I used him as a crutch while he was able to satisfy a more primal need..." Kiku explained, his intelligence seeping out a little too heavily.

Maria giggled slightly. "You sound like a stuffy teacher... But, I guess that I understand it, I think. In exchange for you getting protection, distraction, and a little stability, he got love and an ease to his loneliness, right?"

"Yeah, that's it."

She looked down again, stooping over as she bent for a pretty oyster shell. "But...what about me? Couldn't I have been those things for you?" she asked, sounding a little hurt.

"Maria...I don't want you to be my crutch. As a guy, I should protect you, not the other way around. Sure, we're equal, but I'm not strong enough to be on par with you. I'm too weak...too depressed and sad..." Kiku responded emphatically, gazing with forlorn attentions on the ocean and the ribbon of moonlight that further intoxicated its beauty.

Maria hugged him around his neck, Kiku holding her arms with warm hands that she missed greatly. "I don't care what you are. I...love you, Kiku. And not in a friendly or mistaken way."

Kiku turned around, bumping their heads together. "Maria, I do, too. But, I'm still going to Japan. There are too many unanswered questions, and if the Braginski's are still after me, then I have to go there and face them head on. But...when I've become stronger, and older, I want you to come there and live with me. I want to be your husband."

"Kiku...? Are you saying that you...want to marry me someday?" she asked incredulously.

"Didn't I just say that? Dork," he teased lightly, winding his arms around her waist.

"Alright, I'll wait for you. I'll wait for you forever," she breathed, sealing the gap between them with a kiss, Kiku returning it softly.

This was worth waiting an eternity for.

* * *

Last Thoughts: Jesus Christ, it's about damn time that I updated this bitch!

Er, anyway, I'm guessing that a lot of you are still reeling from the fuck80, huh? What's a fuck80, you ask? A fuck80 is a repeated trend found in extremely well-made Korean thrillers where some minor or major event completely change the story to a degree of reeling, that is usually very unexpected and emotional. The '80' derives from '180 degrees', often expressed towards things that change to their opposite or something different. The 'fuck' relates mostly to 'mindfucking,' which people express feel towards media that fucks with their mind, usually eliciting comments such as "MIND=BLOWN" or " I SHAT BRICKS," a much less decorous yet still mildly amusing. Examples of such movies include: No Mercy, The Man From Nowhere, Bestseller, and Rainbow Eyes. All of which come from the select number of Korean thrillers that the authoress as seen, due mostly to being hit by the Korean Wave at its fullest later than some.

I'm guessing that a fuck80 is original at this point, but it becomes a meme, yay for it!

Anyway, despite the fact that the ending made you want to murder your monitor, this story is still ChuNi, ChinaxJapan! It will come later, but I wish not to spoil the story that I have yet to write. If you're a little lost on the details concerning this chappie, please PM me or mention it in your review. I think that I did okay in not colluding the story's details so far, but I hope that maybe this will keep you reading for some more acshun~ 3

Anyway, concerning the rather nasty homophobic language, please know that anger was the reason for their use, and as authoress I abhor homophobia in myself and do not promote in any way, shape, or form. Seriously, yaoi is hot and love is love. 'Nuff said! X3

(P.S. The next chapter will have a three year time skip, just to warn you. But, don't worry; it'll be good, promise!)

Be patient, my lufflies, as more Chorus is scheduled to be written and updated super soon. ^^

~Peace, G.


	13. A Second in My Sanctuary

_It's been three years since I've seen or heard from him._

_I guess he was serious._

_I thought that hearts were meant to change..._

_...and that time was supposed to heal any wounds._

_Maybe I'll get lucky.__  
_

* * *

The omniscient blanket of night safeguarded him against the prowling eyes of cars streaking past, storefronts detached from reality softly illuminated mannequins as lively as death hung with colorful and ghastly looking rags. The moon peaked off of looming office buildings not far off, a mimicry of its vain reflection upon the faceless buildings that housed those entombed within the ordinary. Rain wept quietly from the sky held pathetically in the embrace of long-faded light weakly clung to by streaks of clouds upset by warm summer winds. The pavement became a distorted, perforated mirror of sky and light, casting light as long as shadows down uneven curves of hills. Few streetlamps brought enough warmth to counter the cold moon, but he found that he liked it that way.

It was easy to see how much he'd changed since then. Now that high school was over and done, his true self seemed to have spilled over into his life. Even now, dressed in skinny jeans, a skin-tight shirt, bad ass leather jacket and combat boots, he wasn't someone people would want to fuck around with. His hair had grown out a bit and had lengthened out a little bit past his shoulders, and spilled over them since deciding to lose the hair tie every now and again. Now a sophomore in college pursuing his master's in bioengineering, high school seemed like such an off-putting, lost collection of fragmentary memories.

The narrow confines of the street he was now trudging along was riddled with pockets of water in decrepit craters in the concrete, the marquee of _Rouge _beckoning forlornly to him with silent neon letters that struck out against the fog-mired, darkening night sky. Yao sifted through a pocket for a loose cigarette and quietly lit it, the brief illumination of the lighter flaring to the mature contours of his face. He pocketed the cheap lighter, raising his head and exhaling a thin stream of smoke.

As he neared the entrance recessed deeply beneath the marquee, he saw a familiar silhouette casually leaning against the guarded ticket booth, thumbs hooked in the figure's pockets and posed in a way that Yao honestly thought was kind of sexy.

"Well, well, look at what the biplane flew in!" he greeted teasingly, the sheen of silvery blonde hair and the glinting light of haunting amethyst eyes momentarily catching the soft illumination of a few lights within the old game arcade.

Emil pushed himself off his support his a foot, sauntering up to Yao and bopping the older one's head with a fisted hand. "Don't burn your fags all at once, gay wad," Emil softly yet snarkily replied. He'd barely changed from his high school sophomore days, the only difference being his height, two years having passed since Kiku's departure. Emil wore a simple jeans and t-shirt ensemble, sneakers on his feet, though it honestly did nothing for his lanky frame.

"Glad you could make it. Seems your sister's been pretty distant since she transferred to that private school, huh?" Yao began, pushing open the door for Emil who breezed through.

"She was doing better in school, and it wasn't hard enough, I guess. Whatever. What about you?" Emil shrugged it off, lingering as Yao caught up with him and they made way for Rouge, a converted theater where arcade games were located.

"Well, I'm working towards an accelerated bachelor's simultaneously with my Master's. Bioengineering pretty fucking awesome, if you ask me," the 20-year-old stated, crushing the spent cigarette into an elevated ashtray at an old snack bar.

They set through the small lobby, finding the single maze of poorly illuminated corridors that led into several separate converted showing rooms, now dedicated spaces for certain types of games. The hauntingly low light was supplemented by the flickering, glowing screens set in neat rows on either side. Cackling noises and furious explosions sounded from the ancient games, adding to the cacophony.

Emil found his favorite first person shooter and inserted a few coins into the slot, removing a pistol from its holster and readying the cheap plastic gun at the screen. Yao did the same, expending his share of coins for a shot at the two-player mode.

"How has school been for you?" Yao asked as he shot a flurry of bullets at a small battalion of zombies.

Emil did the same, with a bit of finesse. "It's been good. Hard to believe I'll be graduating in a few months."

"Good... Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

Yao grinned wryly at the pun. "Have you heard from Kiku at all?" he reluctantly asked.

Emil paused the game. "I thought you might ask that," he figured, slumping to the ground, and leaning against the machine with a sigh. Yao did the same.

"I have heard from him...he's mostly kept in touch with Maria. But, Yao...he really regrets what he did before he left. He told her that he was just really depressed, and when you're like that, it drives you insane and you lash out at the people closest to you. He's changed a lot since then, Yao. I think he might want to see you again some day soon."

Yao swallowed down Emil's words, feeling a blush creep on his cheeks. Kiku didn't hate him; he'd been upset, that was certain, but Kiku didn't hate him...

Emil chuckled slightly at Yao's reaction. The younger boy pulled out his iPhone and opened up a Facebook app, procuring Kiku's Facebook profile and handing it off to Yao. "I think the time you guys spent apart was for the better; check out his profile picture," Emil instructed.

Yao's eyes glazed over in nostalgia as he saw the picture of the four of them, he, Kiku, Emil, and Maria, crammed into a photo booth from all those years ago. He instantly smiled at it, then let curiosity get the better of him and so he began looking at Kiku's albums, nicely categorized by year, and felt himself involuntarily smile at pictures where Kiku did. He had grown up, and looked even more stunning than when they'd first met.

"You could try friending him," Emil suggested gently, taking back the phone once Yao had seen his fill.

Yao shook his head. "I don't know if I could, especially since he still likes Maria."

"She's been dating Francis for years, Yao. I don't even think that he wants to be with her."

Yao looked incredulously at Emil. "You're shitting me."

"If they wanted to be together, they would be by now, but they're not. I think it's because he likes someone else," Emil replied, looking pointedly at the college student.

Yao shifted around slightly, raising a knee up to rest his arm upon the cap. "I'm not going to lie, Emil. Ever since he left, I've been wanting for it to be the way it was. I want us to go down to the beach and just be friends, like the good old days," he said with a sigh, yearning to relive the memories that always haunted him to the point of desperation.

They were silent for a moment before Yao spoke, "Hey, can I see you phone for a second? I think it's about I ended the silence between us."

* * *

He just couldn't sleep.

Kiku tossed and turned before bolting upright, sweating. A gaze cast at his digital clock proclaimed that it was only two in the morning. He had four hours before he had to wake up for school.

Not that he'd be able to sleep if he wanted to. Kiku threw back the sheets and pulled on a yukata over his boxer shorts and T-shirt, stumbling towards the bathroom adjoined to his room to quickly wash his face and brush out his bed head.

He slowly raised his head in front of the mirror, appraising himself. His features had sharpened over the past three years, and his eyes were colder then they were in the past. Still, he looked too girly, which made him slightly disgusted. Well, at least it helped him make a quick buck when he needed it, despite all of his past trauma. Having his aunt as an agent helped greatly, too.

Kiku's life had grown better over the years. A steady medication and therapy helped him cope, and his school was lenient enough when he was having a panic attack or an episode. He really didn't have any friends, and his only good friends were still in America. He was still too different to them, even though he'd been born Japanese. Well, living the life that he had, it wasn't hard to see why.

He was always in contact with the Im's, and they always visited over his summer break, and were considered family to Kiku's. He always enjoyed seeing them, and Yong Soo was always pleasant company to have around, even though he was a major pain in the ass at times.

It was late spring now, and exams were just around the corner. Although his school only had a month allotted for summer break, it was always a hectic time of year spent cramming for hours until late at night, something he found to be a pleasant distraction from the rigors of daily life.

Mainly, his busy life was something that kept him distracted from spending too much time thinking about Yao.

Kiku lashed a sash around his waist to keep the yukata in place, gritting his teeth at the thought at the older man. The replay of that terrible day propelled through his mind, the burn of regret seizing his heart. He was such a coward, keeping Yao away for this long...

He felt the sudden urge to sit at his desk. Pulling out the swiveling chair, he flipped open his laptop, hands trembling as he keyed in the password. Firefox automatically launched, he having let the laptop hibernate when he was too tired to continue studying, and he brought up Facebook.

His heart pounded his ears and crept up his throat, the Friends bar filled with one request. He hesitantly clicked it, shocked that the very person he'd been fervently thinking about had just sent him a friend request.

Involuntarily, he confirmed the request. Then, his messages icon immediately became filled.

**_Kiku, are you there?_**

His heart accelerated, and his hands became clammy as he replied, _Yeah. I am._

**_Whew, that's good. :) How have you been?_**

Kiku felt tears beading in his eyes. _I've been doing okay. Exams are coming up._

**_Really? Same here. Looks like we'll need to study hard, eh? XD_**

He sniffled audibly. _Yao, I'm so sorry. What happened that day, what I said...none of it was true. You're a good person and I should have never said those things..._

**_Kiku, it's okay. You were hurting. I understand completely._**

Kiku wiped a beaded tear from the corner of eye. _I wish you were here... You have no idea how much I miss you._

**_I want to see you, Kiku. I think I'm going to go to Japan this summer. I've missed you like crazy since the day you left._**

He typed, _When you come, I promise that I'll make up for everything._

**_...Do you want to Skype?_**

_I'd love to, _Kiku replied, quickly changing his Skype status to 'Online' and giving Yao his username. Kiku pulled back the curtains to his room, sliding open the sliding door that opened up to a wrought-iron balcony. He gently lowered himself to the ground, leaning against the rails and setting his laptop on his lap.

Kiku startled when the request for a video chat came up, which he quickly accepted without thought.

"Kiku? Wow, you've really changed," Yao greeted smiling, the man reclined on a bed, in his dad's apartment. "Long time no see, eh?"

"Yeah," Kiku blushed, "you've really changed, too." Yao certainly had grown more handsome, manlier than he remembered. Of course, it was a welcoming change.

"A lot has happened since then," Yao began, averting his eyes slightly.

Kiku nodded blankly. He suddenly then placed the Ultrabook before him and tilted the screen up. He bowed as formally and apologetically as he could, prostrating himself as much as he could. "Yao, please forgive me for my past actions! I am deeply sorry...and I feel guilt for it every day..." Kiku finished weakly, shyly straightening himself, seated upon folded knees.

Yao looked surprised. "Kiku, none of it was your fault—"

In the simple illumination of the moon and a single light balanced overhead, Kiku pulled up the sleeve that hid those terrible scars, deathly white against otherwise pristine skin. "All I can think about is that day, and how much I hurt you. I can't forgive myself, Yao, even if you do..." Kiku hung his head, feeling anxious to the point of nausea.

"Kiku, I love you. I love only you. If you can't accept my forgiveness, at least accept my feelings."

Tears sprang anew to Kiku's eyes. He smiled weakly through them, replying, "I can't wait until you come..."

* * *

Yao closed his old laptop, satisfied, unable to keep the smiles from springing to his lips. He set it on his desk overwhelmed with study papers and other materials, feeling like he was on top of the world. After three years of pure uncertainty, Kiku not only forgave him, but renewed the love that had been burning strongly ever since. It seemed that the past three years were the best thing that could've happened to the boy, and to him as well.

Luckily, he'd amassed a fair amount of money from the years spent researching over past summers at his college, and would be able to afford staying in Japan for the whole of summer if he wanted. Though, with Kiku's rigorous school schedule, he knew that wouldn't be possible. Still, even five minutes with the boy was perfect enough for him.

His flip phone began buzzing on his desk, nearly quivering off the edge before he caught it.

He saw the ID and tentatively answered it. "Hello?"

"Yao! I just finished messaging Emil. I heard about you and Kiku," she began. She didn't sound as hostile as he thought she would.

"Yeah, I'm going to be visiting this summer," he replied, his voice still fairly guarded.

"I wish that I could go," she pouted, "but I'm glad that you guys are back together. You know, one of these days, things will be like the way they used to be."

"Maria, I thought you made a promise with him."

"Yeah, I did...a long time ago. We were stupid kids, Yao. Immature, and idiotic. Things have changed. Besides, you and Kiku already confessed your love for each other, am I right? I'm in love with Francis now. Kiku will always be my best friend, along with you, and of course my stupid brother," she laughed jovially through the phone.

"Hm, why the sudden change of heart?" Yao asked softly.

"Sudden? People change, Yao. I know that you were really bitter and stuff way back when, thinking that maybe people don't change. Emil used to be like that, too, when he was younger. Well, I hate to crack the egg on your head, but this is the truth. So you might as well get used to it!" she crowed cheekily. "Now how about you shut up and bring my idiot brother and join me for some burgers at Nostalgia Alley? I'm freaking starved and you're buying!"

Yao smirked to himself. At three in the afternoon, that really didn't sound like a bad idea.

He had all the reason in the world to celebrate anyway.

* * *

It felt strange to finally be free from school. Exams were over, grades had been sent out, and congratulations given. For about the next two months, he was free from any academic obligation, and set to do as he pleased with his family.

Kiku swallowed apprehensively as he exited the school gates, being one of the last due to a long conversation with his teachers. They had decided to congratulate him on being one of the top in his class for the year, and made last minute arrangements regarding the next school year. He felt proud, but when he remembered who he was going to be seeing on that day, his stomach tied itself in knots, butterflies flew in it, and his hands trembled with misplaced fear and apprehension.

The white-washed school buildings crowded around him, the courtyard being an ensemble of tasteful flower beds planted by the Botanical Club, their colorful faces etched by the striking sunlight. Shadows glanced from the east as the sun made its slow descent into the west, shading Kiku as he nervously walked in the lee of the school. The gated Senior High made it hard to allow much in the way of peeping, but a sudden burst of wind carried with it the strong scent of cigarette smoke.

"I never thought you'd leave!"

Kiku's face quickly became a feverish red, and he saw someone very familiar approach him.

Yao had grown since then, and he was still about a head taller than Kiku. His hair was slightly longer, his body more toned, and eyes once sad and bitter carried a confident edge to them. He wore a wife-beater in the intense heat, sunglasses, and jeans ripped at the knees. Carried under his arm was a tough leather jacket, a cigarette clamped in his lips, smoking idly.

Kiku nearly froze, but then he felt his legs break into a sprint, colliding into Yao's waiting arms.

"I missed you!" the boy cried, arms wound around Yao's neck fiercely. Yao chuckled, but then sobered, feeling himself choke up as he held the boy dearest to him.

His head dipped down as he nestled it in Kiku's shoulder, inhaling in his scent, always so familiar.

"You still smell like smoke," Kiku smiled through his tears, resting the side of his face against Yao's chest, never having felt so comfortable since he left Roam three years ago.

Yao's hand sank to the boy's lower back, and he lifted his head from Kiku's shoulder. "I can quit if you want me to," he replied in a husky whisper, making Kiku shiver at his words.

"You don't have to..." Kiku whispered back, eyes matching Yao's as they gazed at each other for a moment, until Yao initiated a soft yet passionate kiss. Kiku's body molded into Yao's as they kissed, the moment long and tender.

Their feet shuffled back until Yao's back bumped into the wall, their breathing combined and muffled together. Finally, Kiku withdrew, catching his breath.

Kiku tentatively removed Yao's glasses, shocked to see that the man was almost ready to cry, his eyes shining.

"Yao..." Kiku watched as Yao sank to his knees, wrapping his arms around Kiku's waist, his face buried in the boy's chest.

Kiku bent down slightly, an arm draped on Yao's back, another on his hair. "I missed you so much..."

He felt himself pulled down to kneel as well, face-to-face. Yao was crying like on that day, and it made Kiku's heart clench. He kissed the older male tenderly, bringing them entirely to the ground, Kiku now between Yao's legs. He was kneeling, Yao's arms around his waist, with Kiku's around his neck.

They broke apart, Kiku descending and resting against him, ear against the elder's pounding heartbeat.

"I never want to apart from you like this ever again," Yao finally spoke, his voice wrenched by emotion. He held Kiku as the younger laid against him, the boy just wishing that the moment could last forever.

Kiku closed his eyes. "Me neither."

* * *

"This is really good," Yao commented, voraciously devouring a bowl of ramen that Kiku had made himself, like Masami had taught him.

"Don't eat too fast!" Kiku laughed as Yao practically swallowed the meat down whole. Yao just snorted and continued devouring the ramen, a waterfall of noodles quickly becoming sucked up by the college junior.

The boy contentedly cleaned up the contemporary kitchen, giggling whenever he caught of glimpse of Yao scarfing down his food.

The kitchen itself was fairly Western in idea, but was Japanese in thought. The kitchen was as sparse and necessary as possible, hunkering against a wall while the dining room table was situated against floor-to-ceiling windows basking in the twilight glow, a glimmering row of lights lining a beautiful and mirror-like pond while a still, deep forest was silhouetted against the magnificence of the sunset. A portion of the windows, which led to the courtyard, were open, a screen there to protect against bugs, warm, humid air seeping in and warming up the chilly home naturally.

Kiku snapped from his reverie as loud slurping drew his attention, Yao having finished his third, large serving of ramen.

"That's much better," Yao sighed, wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his jacket rather unceremoniously. "Airplane food is the worst shit if you're on a flight for twenty fucking hours."

He sprawled out on the tatami mats, stretching luxuriously like a cat before sitting up and sauntering over to the kitchen where he grabbed a couple of beers for himself. Kiku followed him in amusement as the two slid open the screen door. Kiku closed it behind them, nearing Yao. They sat at the pond's edge, Yao lying on his side lazily.

"My parents won't be back until after midnight or so. We have the house to ourselves until they get back," Kiku reminded him, Yao downing his beer in acknowledgment.

Kiku sat on his knees next to the junior, his toes touching the pool's surface, a koi fish swimming past in the murky water.

"So how has life been for you?" Yao asked suddenly, already on to his next beer. Kiku raised an eyebrow at that, but then just smiled when he remembered how much of a glutton Yao was.

"It's been really good. My teachers told me that this year, I've had the highest GPA out of everyone in my grade," Kiku boasted in good nature, smiling happily.

Yao sat up slightly. "Shit, that's awesome, Kiku," he praised, ruffling the boy's hair, eliciting a soft laugh.

"And my depression has really become manageable, too. I occasionally have panic attacks, and depressive episodes, but it's not like how I used to be. Studying just really cools me down, I guess. It's hard to be depressed if there's a big test coming up the next day," Kiku smiled. "I don't really have a lot of close friends, since my classmates and I all have to study hard a lot, but I hang out a lot with people. Especially this girl who is Vietnamese and another guy who is Thai. They understand me, and I think we're pretty good friends. Still, they're nothing like what you, Maria, and Emil are to me," Kiku explained, smiling warmly, resting his chin on his kneecaps, arms wrapped around his legs, eyes lost among the swirling clouds like strawberry, banana, and blueberry ice cream.

"How has college been for you?" Kiku asked, catching himself from dozing off.

Yao took a swig of beer. "Pretty fucking awesome. I've got three years left since I'm earning my bachelor's and master's in one go. After you left, I joined the National Honor's Society and was president senior year. I did a fuck-ton of volunteering and electives and shit, and even got a free ride through college. I'm studying Bioengineering just like my old man. He also got a job at the college as a full-time professor and was able to move out of our shitty apartment and buy a decent one closer to the high school. I live in the old one now, and he left a lot of cool shit behind, since it would've been a royal pain in the ass to move anyway. Life is pretty fucking sweet," he smiled, crossing his legs as he reclined on his back, peering up at Kiku upside-down, nursing his beer.

"That sounds good," he commented quietly. Carefully, since he was now wearing shorts, Kiku dipped his feet into the cool pond. Scooting over, he moved close enough to Yao, the older Asian smiling as he lifted his head and brought it down again on Kiku's lap.

Yao took a long, last dreg of his second beer, setting the polished off bottle to the side. "You're still upset about that day, aren't you?"

Kiku nodded weakly. "I wish I could go back in time and reverse all of it..."

Yao's hand brushed by Kiku's cheek, tenderly caressing it. "Hey, that's in the past. We're here together, now, Kiku. You have nothing to be sorry for."

The boy shook his head. "I still can't stop thinking about you on that day! I think about what happened every day, and it still makes me really sad," Kiku whimpered, urging himself not to cry again.

Yao slowly sat up, vertigo overwhelming him for a moment from being slightly buzzed, but he shook it off. He pulled Kiku close to his chest, holding him tightly. "You can't help it, I know. It's something you'll remember for a long time." Kiku cuddled closely, nodding his head meekly. "But you know what? I still feel the same since then. I love you. That's all. I love you, Kiku, and nothing you can say to me will change how I feel."

"I love you, too," Kiku replied quietly.

Yao loosened his grip on Kiku, encouraging him into a deep kiss. Arms tightly wound about the boy, they sank to the soft grass. They came back several times repeatedly to kiss, each contact sweeter than the next.

"You taste like alcohol." Kiku wrinkled his nose, Yao chuckling throatily before coming back for more.

"Don't forget cigarettes," Yao whispered insinuatingly into Kiku's ear, licking the shell of it.

"It's like kissing an ash tray," Kiku quipped cheekily.

Yao looked rather dubiously at him, then flipping their positions which caused Kiku to squeak cutely, the boy bottoming. "Don't forget the ramen you made," Yao purred, "and you." He licked Kiku's neck, causing the boy to freeze.

"Don't forget to brush your teeth tonight," Kiku reminded him pointlessly.

"Your ramen is rather good..." Yao coiled an arm around Kiku's arched back, another around his neck to support his head.

Yao pried open Kiku's mouth with his tongue, and they began an intense French kiss. Kiku moaned slightly through it, and wound his arms tightly around Yao's neck. Yao panted through it, almost unable to stop.

Yao began grinding against Kiku, causing the younger to moan in pleasure. "Yao!" he cried in ecstasy, bucking against the older Asian.

Yao immediately brought them forward, Kiku on his lap once more, feeling a hard-on. Kiku felt up Yao's shirt, trailing lower down his navel, undoing his pants.

"Kiku?" he questioned suddenly.

"I'm not afraid of you," Kiku whispered, slowly unzipping Yao's pants. "I'm afraid of the past, but not of you..." A hand dipped down, fondling Yao's arousal.

Yao groaned through their kisses as Kiku played with him, face burning with pleasure. Kiku smiled coyly as Yao was obviously hot and bothered.

"Is something wrong?" he asked cutely, making Yao burn uncomfortably from the combined pleasure. He kissed teasingly along Yao's neck, and along his collar bone.

"Kiku," was his only hot reply, arms still coiled tightly around Kiku.

"Does this make up for Maria?" he asked, massaging down there sensually.

Yao nodded stiffly, lips seeking Kiku's as they resumed their make out. Kiku let him kiss as passionately as he wanted, perhaps as recompense he thought was due.

Kiku removed his hand after Yao climaxed, swiping his it along the grass until it was clean.

Yao slowly descended to the ground, bringing Kiku with him, numbly lying on top of the boy, head resting on Kiku's chest.

His stomach was stuffed to the brim with good food and alcohol, he was pleasantly buzzed from rich beer, and he just had the hottest experience with the boy he loved. Best. Fucking. Night. Ever.

When Kiku realized what he'd done, his face began to blaze like it was on fire. He scrambled from beneath Yao, huddling away from the man as he became tortured by embarrassment and shame.

Yao saw this and sat behind the boy, wrapping his arms around Kiku's abdomen and resting his head on Kiku's shoulder. He kissed the boy's cheek sloppily, wanting nothing but to shower this amazing person with affection after an amazing evening. Kiku slouched over from Yao's overbearing weight, his boyfriend beginning to rock the high schooler.

"That was fucking amazing, Kiku," Yao praised enthusiastically, kissing the exposed junction between shoulder and neck, causing Kiku to flinch.

Kiku was too burned by his embarrassment to reply, turning his head away from Yao's.

"Fuck, you're so cute~" Yao hummed, tightening his coiled arms around Kiku.

Slightly perturbed by Kiku's sudden ambivalence of him, Yao sighed loudly and took Kiku into his arms, causing the younger to squeak indignantly at the sudden action.

Once he stomped inside, Yao dumped Kiku on a couch in the sparse living room, jolting Kiku from his meditation on how embarrassed he was. Yao pinned him to it, binding his hands with one of his own. He grinned giddily at Kiku, but the boy stubbornly looked away.

"Tsk, tsk. Maybe getting frisky in your bedroom will help. Sure, you helped me release already, but I'm sure there's some left over for you," Yao grinned perversely, in such a way that would've made Francis proud.

"No!" Kiku cried, wrenching himself from Yao's grip and tumbling on to the floor, dissolving into a fit of giggles he felt so hysterical.

He slowly sat up, wiping tears from his eyes, still laughing giddily. Peeking up at Yao, he suddenly darted away and bounded outside, trying to make a break for it.

Yao grinned and began laughing himself, taking off after the shorter boy who had cleared a fairly wide stream that fed into the large pond, surprising even Yao. His coordination was slightly shot from still feeling a little drunk, but he followed Kiku as clumsily as he could, which was his best right now.

Through the darkness he chased Kiku, when all of a sudden the boy mistakenly ran past him. Yao caught the boy in his arms, and they tumbled to the ground, Yao trapping the smaller boy beneath his weight.

Kiku laughed, completely out of breath, as Yao lavished exaggerated kisses anywhere he could. As quickly as the goofiness began, it stopped.

Kiku gazed at Yao evenly, then kissing the man one last time before he drowsily rested his head on Yao's bicep, next to him. The arm he lay on in turn rested on Kiku's collarbone, both completely still.

"I'm not scared of you, Yao, but we still have the Braginski's to deal with," Kiku began quietly, their eyes affixed to the emerging stars as the haze of twilight was comfortably gathered into the dark cloak of night.

"Have you heard anything about them, from them, at all?" Yao asked, his still hand beginning to stir, stroking Kiku's hair.

"I've read in the papers that they've been acquiring large Japanese firms lately. They news treats it as no big deal, but I think that something bad is going to happen because of it."

"If your true father has anything to do with him, maybe he was trying to stop them in the past or something," Yao suggested.

"Masami told me that twenty years ago, my father had been Prime Minister. After he served two terms, he suddenly disappeared before I was born. No one knows what happened to him. He might be in China, South Korea...or he might still be in Japan."

"Has anything else been discovered about him?" asked Yao.

"No. That's all that could be retrieved about him. He was a politician, so there are things even a rich CEO like my godfather will never be able to discover. I've been modeling for some pretty famous companies, so maybe it'll create interest in me from them."

Yao turned to the side Kiku was on and gathered Kiku into him. "Well, no matter what, they won't be able to harm you as long as I'm here."

"I may not know much about my own father, but I know that you're right about us, Yao..." Kiku propped himself on his arms on Yao's chest, slowly and sensually kissing the one dearest to him.

* * *

Last Thoughts: -leepicderpfeac- Well, dear readers, I really hope this makes up for the last chapter! And about the new rating...I think it's about damn time I stop being such a pussy about writing sexy scenes in my fanfics. Every author needs the ovaries sooner or later to write stuff like this, so it's time I hike up my sleeves and do it myself. Yao and Kiku may or may not actually have sex, but that's still up in the air right now. If you really want them to, I may just include it~

Either that, or I'll just add more chappies to Shameless Tales.

In terms of the story, Kiku and Yao will be in Japan for about two months. Now, I'm sure that a real Japanese student might have a shit-ton of work to complete, or so I've heard, but let's just suspend belief for this story. In this frame of time, I really want to finish up the bulk of the story before they return to 'MURICA and maybe do happy dance with Emil and Maria or some crazy shit like that. Of course, you probably have as much of an idea as to what's coming up as I do...so I'm not very helpful in that respect. In any case, I don't think this story will last past 20 chapters. After I do complete it though, I'm going to do some extensive revision and just correct little things that bother me...not alter the whole story or anything though.

In terms of what stories I'll be updating, Funeral Rush fans seem itching for an update that I've neglected to provide. I'll be working on it next, followed by my other stories that need updating. Hopefully, it'll be an awesomesausome comeback for all my ChuNi stories~

As always, review, review, review! (Remember this, anyone?)

~Peace, G.


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